A Place To Forget
by Spellman
Summary: Six years later, Sarah finds herself back in the Labyrinth. Only she wasn't the one who wished her there. **Rating moved to M for Chapter 12. Reader discretion advised.
1. Chapter 1

**A Place To Forget**

**Chapter 1**

"_This is an oubliette, Labyrinth's full of 'em. It's a place you put people… to forget about 'em!"_

Sarah snapped her book shut and blinked into the glaring sunlight of the park sprawling in front of her. As her eyes adjusted to the bright, glittering waters of the lake, she heard a sigh, and felt her current pillow steal the book out of her hand.

"Hey…" Sarah protested half-heartedly as her boyfriend of more than a year, Alex, thumbed through the well-used novel. He brushed his short, sandy hair away from his gray eyes so he could skim without obstruction.

"I don't understand why you read this over and over," he shrugged, still looking at the pages flipping past, as if expecting an answer to fall out from between the binding and into his lap.

"It's a good story," Sarah explained. While this might be true, she didn't dare include the reason of 6 years past for why it caught her attention so.

Alex raised a brow. "And pizza's pretty great, but I don't eat it every day," he rationalized, flipping to somewhere in the middle and reading a few lines.

"That's hardly a fair comparison." She rolled her eyes and made a grab for the book but Alex held it up, still reading bits and pieces as he kept it at arm's length.

After a few minutes, Sarah huffed and moved back into a comfortable position as Alex continued skipping forward and back through the pages, reading snippets. Somewhere near the beginning of the book, he fell into a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked, bewildered. She couldn't find anything that hilariously funny with any part of the book. Maybe because it all hit too close to home.

"So this girl wishes away her brother to goblins, of all things, and they actually come and get him? I know you're into this kinda stuff, but isn't this a bit on the kiddy side?" Alex snorted a little in humor and continued to scan the page.

Sarah bristled. So maybe she had been a spoiled brat at 15, but he didn't have a right to call her out on it. She about opened her mouth to retort when she realized that he had no clue what his words meant by that. _And words have power…_ Sarah mused. She forced herself to think of it just as a book and see his point of view before she answered. "Maybe. She didn't know it was really going to do anything. She didn't mean it. And as far as goblins coming to take her brother, well, it's fantasy, so it fits." She still sounded a little too defensive.

Alex grimaced at her tone. "Sorry honey. That came out wrong. I'm sure it's a great book," he placated, kissing her on the cheek. This was not the way this afternoon was supposed to go. He glanced over at the now empty picnic basket. He took her on a picnic, as he did on occasion on the weekends when studying wasn't too much in the way. When he reclined against the oak tree and she had leaned up against him, he was hoping they'd cuddle, kiss some, and just chat idly as the afternoon passed by. However, Sarah seemed completely content with cuddling up to him and then keeping her sole attention on her book. The silence had been causing the little box in his pocket to press deeper against his leg, keeping him agonizingly aware of what he had planned to do and how his perfect day wasn't quite what he had planned. And after that tiff, she had snuck the damned book back and continued to read.

He sighed again and tried to bring her attention back to him. "Did you enjoy the picnic?" he ventured, his hand slowly inching its way into his pocket.

Sarah smiled up at him. "Yes, it was very good, thank you." He almost didn't remember why he was mad at her when she looked at him like that, but her attention went back to the well-worn pages and he made a face in agitation. He released his grip on the little box and eased his hand back out of his pocket. _Maybe later_, he slumped in disappointment. She was undisturbed by the movement.

Still attempting to spend some actual time with his love, he requested, albeit a little grudgingly, "Read to me?" He might as well find out what had her attention better than he had.

As her lips quirked in surprised amusement, Sarah nodded and flipped back to the beginning, reading from the start. Alex smiled a little back, relaxing to the sweet melody that was her voice. He even managed to pay attention to the story, although he continued to think it was a little juvenile.

It was well into the evening when Sarah began to read of the masquerade. Her voice caught as she started, sounding a little strained after. Her cheeks looked flushed. Alex caught the obvious change and rolled his eyes a little when the reason soon fell from her lips as the ball progressed.

"Sarah," he interrupted. The box was in his hand. He shifted so that she was forced to sit up and he moved so he could face her. The book shifted in her hands as she peered questioningly at him and then looked struck as she saw the dark blue, velvet box in his hands. He opened it to reveal a simple gold ring with a round diamond set in it. Any jewelry he had ever given her, earrings for Christmas, a necklace for her birthday, had been gold, and she hadn't the heart to tell him that she preferred silver. She stared at the ring as if it might jump up and bite her.

"Sarah, will you marry me?" Alex asked, searching her face, hoping she would look back up at him with a smile.

She looked back up, looking more shocked than willing to smile. "Alex… I… I don't know what to say…" she hesitated.

"Say yes," he smiled, starting to second-guess himself.

"I love you, Alex, I really do," she began, "but don't you think we should wait for school to finish? Isn't this a little fast?"

"You moved fast enough through courses, through decisions, even our own relationship…" Alex mumbled, not liking where this was going.

Sarah looked down at the book in her hands. She wasn't sure if she was just ready for another big adventure. Marriage without a real job might even prove more daunting than the Labyrinth.

Alex followed her gaze. "You're not waiting for a prince to come sweep you off your feet to some castle and a fairytale ending, are you?" he half-sneered, feeling hurt at her quiet rejection of his proposal, of him.

"No! Of course not!" she gasped. She grew indignant. "Can't I just be a little worried at such a big change?"

"But you won't marry me?" Alex persisted, standing to tower over her. "You sure you wouldn't jump at the chance for someone to sweep you off your feet at some ball?" He gestured with a jab at the book. "I'm sure you'd find that type of change to your life just fine!"

"You're not being fair!" she cringed at her choice of wording there, standing to look at him squarely. "Just give me a chance to explain-"

"No, I get it. You don't want to marry me. You're happier with your stupid fantasy," Alex said vehemently.

"Alex, would you just shut up and let me-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sarah!" he shouted. With his face set in a glower, he snatched the book out of her hand. The sunset, which was once a beautiful sight, was quickly being covered by dark storm clouds. "What's his name again?" He flipped a few pages. "_Jareth_. I suppose you'd say yes to him."

Sarah couldn't help herself. She sputtered and then laughed. The though of her saying yes to anything he offered when she had refused him over and over was very hilarious to her. "Alex, that's ridiculous," she said between laughs.

Alex turned red with fury, believing she was laughing at him. "Oh, is it now?" He flipped to the front pages.

"Yes, it is," she said resolutely, still smiling at the silly thought. Raindrops started appearing intermittently now and the sky was quite dark with clouds and approaching nightfall. "Alex, we should really just go back…."

He was still angry and hurt from her refusal and mocking laughter. "Yeah, so you can continue to read this garbage."

Sarah had enough and blurted, "I'd just about rather run the Labyrinth right now than deal with your unfair anger towards me!"

"Oh yeah? Well I think I'd like to see that! And what was that line again?" He had found what he was looking for. "Here it is! I wish the goblins would come take you away,_ right now!_"

Sarah gasped in rage and horror. A blinding flash of lightning struck a tree in the distance behind Sarah and caused Alex to blink rapidly until his eyes adjusted to the darkness again. His heart jumped in his throat at the crashing thunder and began to think going inside was a good idea.

"You're right, we should go inside before we get struck by lightning," he said, his anger ebbing at his growing fear for their safety. His childish retort echoed in his ears and he felt stupid. "Sarah?" As his eyes became accustomed to the dark, he failed to see the rain, the lightning, or even the smoldering tree. He only noticed one thing.

Sarah was gone.

**AN: I plan on making this a fairly lengthy story, however I'm very sketchy on the details as of yet. This idea popped into my head and I plan to run with it and see where it leads me. And Labyrinth and its characters belong to Jim Henson but Alex is my creation.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Just a few moments earlier…._

"Ooooohhh!" came a gasp from the reflection of the lake.

The lake, once glittering like crystal in the afternoon, was rolling with waves and became murky with the coming of the storm. However, the leaden depths of the waters still held enough reflection for a crowd of goblins to peer back out at the scene that unfolded.

"Moves over, you!" shouted a particularly short goblin from the back. He hopped a bit to get a better view.

"Don't you jumps on me!" yelled one being used as a lift up for a better view.

"Then moves your fat head, you!"

"SHH! Look!" hushed another, and they all turned their attention back to the two arguing on the lakeshore.

From a distance, they watched the humans argue. The male one was gesturing angrily to a book they all knew oh so very well.

"He's a gunna wish hers away!" They got excited but it died down when they began to slowly realize a problem.

"But… her is too big." A few nodded in agreement, realizing that they normally just took away children.

"Youse remembers her?" one finally pointed out. "Her beat Laber- Laby- maze befores! Kingy gunna likes it if we's brings girl backs to turn into goblin!" They all cackled and resumed watching the argument in hushed excitement.

"_I'd just about rather run the Labyrinth right now than deal with your unfair anger towards me!"_

"Her don't knows what her gets into," one cackled with malicious glee. The others shushed him and waited with bated breath.

"_Oh yeah? Well I think I'd like to see that! And what was that line again?"_

"Did he say it?"

"SHHHH!"

"_Here it is! I wish the goblins would come take you away, right now!"_

Without a sound and with identical evil grins all, the goblins disappeared, and with them so did the girl that had once beat their king.

**AN: Short, I know, but don't worry; His Nibs will be here soon enough. A little goblin humor for now as thanks for all the favorites, alerts, and reviews I got in just one day of posting this story. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Panic. Dread. Morose. Alex whipped his head around, scanning the park for any sight of her. He was hyperventilating, yet his lungs burned, sapped of air. His heart drummed out alarm against his chest. "Sarah?" he called, half-hysterical. It took a few more seconds before his sense of reasoning and rationality screamed in his mind.

_If she were hurt, she'd be nearby._ His breathing slowed and his heart seemed to calm. And then his breath hitched and his heart paused for one long second.

Confusion. Suspicion. Outrage. _She's run away or hiding!_ Alex couldn't believe Sarah would be so callous as to leave him, even if they had been fighting. The audacity of it! He fumed. "SARAH!" he bellowed, a command that required her return and immediate apology. The rain beat down and he was soaked through and through, but he couldn't care less, nor did he notice. He was infuriated. After several more bellows, he decided she was gone and he was leaving. He took one irate stomp to leave and froze.

The rain had stopped mid-downpour.

The hairs stood up on the back of his neck and on his arms as he realized that the storm clouds were all gone as well. Bright stars twinkled down at him in quiet mystery.

"Well now, leaving so soon?" a sly voice mocked from behind.

Alex turned slowly, eyes wide and some instinctual portion of his brain howling, "DANGER!" for all it was worth. There, before him, stood a man with blonde hair, threads of it reaching down to meet his high-collared cape. The ankle-length cape was midnight blue and glittered without the need for movement to catch light. It matched and blended with the night sky. He wore black gloves and black boots, a black breastplate and black breaches. But what Alex saw and caused an involuntary step back was the man's dark, mismatched eyes boring straight into him. His mind screamed louder as it recognized the look of a predator looking on its prey.

"Alexander, is it? And where are you going?" the Goblin King asked coolly.

Alex's voice seemed to have caught up to him finally. "Who the hell are you?" he blurted, still agitated, even more so now.

Jareth tsked. "Is that how you speak to your betters?" He stalked forward a few paces. "Is that how you thank the one that granted your wish?"

The oddity of the question pulled Alex to respond despite his immediate loathing of the man. "Wish?"

"Yes, you wished for the goblins to come and take someone away, and away they've been taken. Keep up with me, boy," the Goblin King explained impatiently.

Alex snorted. "Look, I don't know why you were eavesdropping on our argument, but you need to quit interfering. Sarah will be back or I'll see her tomorrow," he grumbled, more willing to take the weather as a fluke now than as… anything else. His mind had stopped analyzing the moment, possibly as a defense for something he could not fathom.

At the name, Jareth froze. In fact, Alex seemed to freeze as well. More completely, however. Time stilled as Jareth contemplated the name. A frown graced his features and he strode to the lake's edge, peering in. "And who, pray tell, did you take this time? I thought I was clear on the fact that we only take children."

The goblins appeared in the wavering surface, looking rather sheepish. The others pushed their ringleader of sorts forward and the goblin gulped. "You sees, Kingy, that ones over theres-" the goblin pointed to Alex, "-wished girly aways. Same girly that… that… that cames to gets baby." The goblin had the sense to not mention the fact that she had beat their king at his own game. His description was enough to confirm what Jareth had guessed.

Jareth pinched his nose and closed his eyes, seemingly showing great restraint. "Are you telling me that Sarah is inside my castle at this very moment?" The goblins nodded slowly and made murmurs of assent.

Jareth sighed in controlled exasperation. "Make sure she stays there." With that he spun back to the moment of suspended time.

With a careless gesture, the breeze continued it's course through the waving grass blades, the stars resumed twinkling, and Alex glared as if no time had passed.

Picking up the conversation where it had momentarily ceased, Jareth shook his head slowly and smirked. "You won't find her here."

The feeling of foreboding returned to Alex and his eyes widened. "If you've done something to hurt her, I'll swear I'll-"

"Do what? Kill me? You'd find that to be very difficult. No, if you would get it through your thick scull, you'd know exactly where she is right now." The Goblin King folded his arms and waited for Alex to make the connections.

Alex slowly looked down to the book and slowly looked up, eyes wide with disbelief. "No…. This isn't real. This is a story," he scoffed as he shook the book in his hand for emphasis.

Jareth rolled his eyes and his next words were icy. "I'll assure you I'm very real. You'd do well to remember that. Sarah was much faster on the uptake then you are, I wonder what she sees in you? Not intelligence, I dare say."

Alex bristled. "Ok, so if you are some 'Goblin King', then Sarah is in the Labyrinth cause I wished her there, and it seems she was there before just like in this book?"

"Bravo." Jareth's voice dripped with sarcasm. Not appreciating the still joking quality to Alex's voice, he transported them to the edge of the Labyrinth just as he had done with Sarah those six years ago. "She's there," he pointed behind Alex.

Alex turned in confusion and his jaw dropped as he took in the dusty colors of the Labyrinth. He swiveled his head back around but the park was completely gone and replaced by the Underground. Finally believing and showing the Goblin King more of the awe he inspired and deserved, Alex gulped audibly and turned to face the maze before him. "Bring her back."

Jareth tsked again. "And I thought you had learned. You wished her away." With a conniving grin, he added, "What's said is said."

Remembering the story, Alex realized no amount of pleading was going to help him. "Then what can I do to get her back?"

"Forget the girl, Alex. You don't know what horrors await you."

"I can't. I lo-…."

Jareth's eyebrows quirked up. "You love her, do you? And you wished her away to goblins?" He laughed maliciously.

Alex's face crumpled. "I didn't mean it."

"It sounded very much like you did. You mean to say that you didn't think it would work," Jareth goaded. Alex frowned but had no retort.

"Come. I shall take you home and you can live a life without a girl who lives in fairytales and never comes back to reality."

"No," Alex said firmly. "I have to get Sarah."

"Alexander the Great, is it? Going to conquer my Labyrinth?" Jareth jeered.

"Yes," Alex said with false bravado.

Jareth's smile curled viciously. _This would be all too easy…._

A twisted clock showing 13 hours appeared before them. Jareth pointed at the clock. "You'll have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before Sarah becomes mine… forever…." His voice trailed mystically as he disappeared from sight. Yes, he was repeating himself and was never fond of doing so, but the irony was too great to pass up. He reappeared in his throne room. Smiling ruthlessly, he strode down an adjoining corridor to find a certain female inhabitant he was all too thrilled to see.

Alex stared after where the Goblin King had disappeared. He glanced at the clock, noticed the seconds beginning to tick by, and purposely strode down the hill and towards the gates of the towering outer walls of the Labyrinth.

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed Jareth's first appearance. I enjoyed writing it and getting to wander through his mindset and personality a bit. By the way, the next few chapters are probably going to see a higher rating added to the story. Jareth is hardly a K rating as it is with his pants, let alone getting to listen in to his thoughts.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"I wish the goblins would come take you away,_ right now!_"

She gasped and then there was darkness.

Sarah widened her eyes. She couldn't see, but she could feel movement, almost as if she was being pushed in all directions like a leaf in heavy wind. The sensation changed and she felt like she was falling slowly. And then she could see she was falling, and she landed on her feet in a stone room. She staggered a few steps, not quite able to stick the landing. She looked around with her mouth hung slightly open.

The walls and floor were made of tan colored stones. A fireplace lay on one end, the inside blackened with winters of use. There were plush, burgundy velvet chairs and couches around the room and even a few books strewn here and there on nearby end tables. Candles also graced the tables, their wax encrusting the wooden surface around them. None were lit presently as late-afternoon light was streaming through the windows. The windows did not have glass but had heavy drapes of velvet that matched the furniture. She cautiously crossed the room to a window and her worst fears were realized; she was inside the castle at the center of the Labyrinth.

"No, no, no, no, no…," she muttered to herself.

"Yes, yes, yes!" squeaked a voice behind her. She whirled to find a gaggle of goblins smiling at her and looking very pleased with themselves.

"Why am I here?" Sarah groaned to no one in particular.

"Cause youse was wished aways," stated a goblin, slowly, as if he thought she might be a bit slow in the head.

"Oh, I had no idea," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. The goblins exchanged more looks now, clearly thinking that she really was slow. Obviously sarcasm was not a strong suit for goblins.

Sarah swiveled her eyes, taking in the room once more. Finally they alighted on a wrought-iron door, and she strode purposely toward it. The goblins watched her for a second and then jumped comically and rushed to block the door. "Youse can'ts leave heres!"

"Oh, yes I can," Sarah growled. After her immediate shock had subsided, an urge to escape had developed, almost to a point where she felt as if the walls were closing in around her. She felt trapped and she wanted, needed to leave, right now. She stepped around and over goblins, but they pushed her legs back as well, some pulling back on her jeans. This lasted for several long moments and all were too busy in the struggle to notice the door had crept open.

"Well, if they had tried this tactic last time, you would have never made it through the city," drawled a certain, smirking Goblin King.

The motley crew paused and all turned to find Jareth lounging against the doorframe. Sarah's breath hitched a bit, just as it had when she had read the passage about them dancing. Strange, she had only read it maybe an hour ago and it had seemed like so much time had passed. Maybe it had.

"I'm glad to see you can follow orders at least some of the time," Jareth stood straight with his hands folded behind his back and regarded the goblins. "Leave us." On an afterthought, the Goblin King added, "And take the chicken," and soon the goblins and poultry trooped out of the room, the door swinging shut behind them.

Jareth's gaze traveled away from the door to look upon his captive. And my, was she captivating. His eyes traveled over her lithe figure; up her legs, across her waist and ample chest and finally landed on her lips. And then he reached her eyes. Sarah straightened, trying to ignore the urge to cover herself with her arms, as she felt that he could see through her. She tugged the hem of her green tank-top down just a bit so she was sure it was covering the top of her jeans.

"Welcome back to my Labyrinth, Sarah." He smiled, but his eyes looked dark, ravenous. "I trust the goblins weren't too much of a bother."

Sarah swallowed to relieve her dry throat and was finally able to speak. "Take me back."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"I didn't ask to be stolen away by you; take me back!" Sarah began to show her frustration and sounded half-hysterical in her demand.

Jareth tsked. "Must you always place the blame on me? First for your brother, after you had wished him away quite clearly, and now you are blaming me again for being wished away by that brat who is now working his way through the outer walls."

"Alex is in the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked softly.

The Goblin King nodded and stepped closer. "At first he had believed you ran away from him. It took him such a _long_ time to even begin to believe that you were not a silly girl living in a dream world but one who had been through challenges he could not fathom. He didn't take my warnings about the Labyrinth, however. Maybe he thought since you beat it, it would be an easy task for him."

Sarah frowned, not liking at all the way this was sounding. "You're twisting this. Alex didn't mean any of it, and I'm sure he's bravely trying to rescue me now."

"Are you so sure?" Jareth questioned, sowing the seeds of doubt further into Sarah's mind. "He was angry when he wished you away. And when he slipped and told me that he _loved_ you, and I asked why, then, did he wish you away to goblins, he gave me the same pathetic excuse of not meaning it. I challenged that answer, and when I said that I believed that he did mean it, that he just didn't think it would actually work, he had no reply for me."

"…You're lying…," Sarah mumbled, unsure.

"Why would I need to lie? Have I ever lied to you yet?" Jareth prodded, his eyes narrowed.

Sarah opened her mouth and then closed it. Her expression crumpled a little as she realized that what he said was truth.

Jareth circled behind her and laid his hands gently on her shoulders. His voice dropped to a murmur. "He doesn't love you like I do, Sarah. I wouldn't think the things you like are childish. I could give you your dreams as I offered before, if you'd just say the word."

Sarah inhaled sharply, sad, confused, and frightened all at once. She wasn't frightened so much by Jareth himself, as she was by his actions. When she was younger, he had said as much, but she had not understood, had purposely not listened. Now she heard him, and his offer was terrifying, unknown. Alex was safe…. She loved Alex….

"I would never wish you away," Jareth whispered in her ear. Sarah wrenched herself out of his grasp, not able to bear being so close anymore. Once again she felt trapped, and she needed to escape. She strode purposefully to a window and gasped in the fresh air as if she had been underwater and had just resurfaced.

Jareth watched her curiously. He gave her a few moments to adjust to all that he had told her, giving her the space she needed. Finally, he called from across the room, "Forget him, Sarah."

Sarah shuddered and turned to meet his gaze. "I can't. He's in the Labyrinth. He's coming for me."

Jareth shrugged. "He has thirteen hours to reach this castle or you will remain in the Underground. And you have thirteen hours to decide if that's such a horrible outcome after all."

Sarah glanced over her shoulder at the view of the Underground out the window. Sunset was falling fast, casting beautiful streaks of color across the sky, with night approaching from the East, a velvet blue with thousands of twinkling stars. It was magical, to say the least.

She turned back around as she heard the door swing open. Jareth held it open and motioned for her to follow. When Sarah hesitated, he frowned. "I was going to take you to the dining hall so that you may get dinner, and the escort you to a guest room in case you would prefer sleeping to staring out the window or devising plans of escape all night."

Sarah's mouth formed an 'o' and she almost laughed at his disgruntled expression. It made him less kingly and more… human. She tentatively crossed the room to follow him.

**AN: Sorry this chapter took a while. I didn't want to rush it, and I hope you enjoy it. And if you didn't notice, this chapter raised the story rating to T, thanks to His Nibs being a bit of a perv, hahahaha.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The problem is, there were no gates.

Alex stood outside of the Labyrinth, hands on hips, glaring at the walls he had walked back and forth to no avail. If he stared any harder, he might will a door to form from sheer determined look.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET IN WITHOUT ANY DOORS?" Alex yelled at it, clearly frustrated. He aimed a kick at the wall and achieved an aching foot.

"Heh heh heh," a voice said a few feet down as the owner of said voice watched Alex's antics with the wall.

Alex spun and looked down to find a squashed looking dwarf of sorts. "It's not funny, I can't get in. Who are you?"

"Name's Hoggle," said the dwarf, seeming uninterested and continuing his work of poisoning pixies.

"Well, do you have any idea how I get inside?" grumbled Alex.

"Maybe," Hoggle replied.

Alex exhaled, frustrated. "You're not going to be any help are you?"

"If you ask the right questions, then maybe I'll help," Hoggle snarked back at him.

Alex scrunched his eyebrows down. Then he blurted,

"How do I get into the Labyrinth?"

"Now THAT'S the right question. You get in there," and just as he did with Sarah those years ago, Hoggle pointed at opening doors for the entrance to the Labyrinth that had not been there a few seconds ago.

"This place is psychotic," Alex mumbled to no one in particular. "What did you say your name was again? Hogwash?"

"HOG-GLE!" the dwarf fumed.

Alex turned his thoughts back to the book. "Oh yes, I remember you…. You weren't very helpful in that book either."

"What book?" Hoggle grunted.

"The book Sarah had," Alex answered, striding into the Labyrinth to look down the never-ending paths.

"Sarah?" Hoggle said, hopeful. "Sarah's here?"

"Erm, yeah…. She's at the castle," Alex murmured, a little embarrassed as to why.

Hoggle picked up on that pretty quick. "You wished her there, didn't you?" When Alex nodded, Hoggle stared daggers at him. "If that ain't the worst I've ever heard…." Hoggle groaned. "Jareth has her. She solved this, only to get stuck with the likes of him again."

"Well, I'm trying to get her back," Alex snapped back. "And if you won't help, I'll do it alone."

Hoggle chuckled dryly. "You think you can reach the center on your own? Pheh. I'll help, not cause I like you, but for Sarah." Suddenly, realizing what he said, he glanced around nervously.

"What?" Alex questioned, looking around as well.

"Jareth takes none to kindly to those who help runners. I don't want to land in the Bog."

Alex blinked but chose not to ask. He realized that the door had disappeared and shook his head. Guess he had better get used to stuff like that happening.

"So, gonna stand here all night and wait for time to run out?" Hoggle remarked.

Alex shot him a look and then began walking down the path. After several minutes, he became frustrated with the lack of turns. "How am I supposed to get anywhere if it doesn't turn?"

Hoggle ambled up behind him. "There are turns alright, you just ain't seeing them properly."

"I thought you were going to help," Alex accused.

"Well I can't right lead you to the castle. Jareth will know and it'll be my head for it."

Alex squinted at the wall before him in the darkness. Vines grew sporadically along the wall, creeping from the bottom all the way to the top, some 15 feet above. Alex stepped forward and pulled on the vines, finding them sturdy enough. Without a glance back, he began to climb.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," Hoggle warned. "Labyrinth never suffers cheaters for long."

"Cheating," Alex scoffed. "If I'm cheating then the Labyrinth sure is." He continued his climb, slipping a little once or twice, but finally making it to the top. He turned and looked at the castle and then looked back down at Hoggle with a grin. "See? What did I tell you? This should be a lot easier from heEEEERRRREEE!"

Hoggle blanched as the wall swallowed Alex. With a sound akin to a burp, it reformed into the solid wall it had been seconds before.

Hoggle smacked his forehead and began his search for a passage leading down.

**AN: Sorry for the delay and the short chapter. The Labyrinth seems to have had a snack.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sarah blinked as she entered the so-called dining room. A small wooden table, much like one would find in a house, sat in the room with four chairs around it. Food, enough for two, adorned the table on nice but simple china. A few uneven candlesticks were set on the table with glowing crystals illuminating the room further. The walls were stone like the rest of the castle and fairly sparse, one medieval-looking tapestry hanging across the room depicting goblins at some unknown holiday feast. She paused as she took all this in, puzzled.

Jareth deciphered her reaction. "Not the dining hall of a king, I assume you're thinking." Sarah shook her head to emphasize the answer. "I do have a grand banquet hall in the next wing, but this serves well for… intimate company," he explained. Sarah quirked an eyebrow but chose not to respond to his choice of wording.

The Goblin King strode to a chair and held it out for her. Slightly blushing, not used to this gallant treatment, Sarah walked over and carefully perched on the chair as he slid it under her. She sat with her hands folded in her lap and Jareth gestured at the food in a 'help yourself' manner and took a seat beside her to do the same. The dinner was light, almost European in style, consisting of cold chicken, fruit, cheese, and bread. A glass of red wine and a glass of water were also placed before her. Sarah chose to drink water, knowing that she was already tired and would like to keep her senses as keen as possible around Jareth. He had given her no reason to distrust him yet. In fact, other than altering a few aspects of her adventure the last time she was here, he hadn't give her much reason to distrust him then either. She had over-used the word 'unfair' to describe his actions last time, but, as she learned with experience, life isn't fair and that is no different no matter where you are. He might seem 'unfair' at times, but he had never given her real reason not to trust his words and actions. Still, she knew little of his intentions and what lay in his mind, and that was what made her wary of him. She was still bemused of why he loved her. Did he really? Was this the one thing she couldn't trust?

"You are very quiet, Sarah," Jareth commented. "Last time you had plenty to say, if I recall correctly," he smirked, cutting the tension with humor.

Sarah laughed lightly, shaking her head free of her thoughts. "Just tired, I suppose. Thank you for dinner."

"Think nothing of it," he smiled genuinely, idly playing with a crystal as he studied Sarah. A quick glance to the crystal and he arched a brow.

"What is it?" hesitated Sarah as she looked at the crystal. If Jareth made her nervous, the crystals caused a stab of fear within her. The crystals were always beautiful, but always brought something unpleasant, or so it seemed.

Jareth's lips quirked. "Only something fairly amusing. Would you like to see an old friend of yours, Sarah?"

Before Sarah could begin to articulate an answer, let alone wipe off the look of confusion, Jareth had tossed the crystal in the air and it cracked on the stone floor, a cloud of glitter erupting from it. A cloud of coughing glitter.

"HOGGLE!" Sarah exclaimed in delight, throwing herself from her chair to a kneeling position beside the still-hacking dwarf to engulf him in a rib-crushing hug.

"Don't kiss me! Don't kiss me!" Hoggle yelled, panic lacing his tone.

A somewhat-sinister laugh emanated a few feet away. "Still don't want to be Prince of the Land of Stench? Such a pity; you'd have been perfect for the job."

"Aww, leave Hoggle alone!" Sarah pouted, managing to look a little grumpy at the threat even though a glitter-covered Hoggle was making her want to laugh. "I missed you, Hoggle!"

"Missed you too, Sarah," Hoggle mumbled, turning a little red and hoping Jareth didn't notice. "How come you stopped calling on us?" He looked sad, but hopeful for an adequate answer, and not just that she didn't need them anymore.

Sarah's face fell at the question. She had stopped calling when she had begun dating Alex. He laughed at her love of fairytales and fantasy and so she slowly began eradicating that portion of her life. She had never given up the Labyrinth completely, but she had thought it was time to start growing up. Now looking upon her friend, she realized she was just being more childish. After all, aren't friends more important than how silly you look?

Hoggle's face scrunched up a little in disgust. "It's not cause of that moron in the Labyrinth, is it?" Sarah's lack of an answer proved it, and he harrumphed but seemed to be a little better now that it wasn't cause she had stopped liking him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hoggle! I don't know why I turned my back on my friends, but I'm not doing it anymore!" She hugged him again and he resisted faintly, spirits a bit better now. "Wait a minute, you've met Alex? Why do you think he's a moron?"

"Yes, Higgle," Jareth purposely called Hoggle incorrectly, standing from his chair and striding over. Maybe in the beginning the dwarf had little to cause noteworthy attention, and he had actually not remembered his name and could honestly care less, but from constant dealings with him, Jareth just found amusement in how angry Hoggle could get from the slip-up. That must be it, as the Goblin King did not constantly threaten and misname his servant out of jealousy. No, he did not envy the attention Sarah gave him as he obviously had that in spades….

Hoggle frowned and Jareth continued with a smirk. "Explain why Alexander has been caught in an oubliette."

"He's in the oubliette? He's that far already?" Sarah asked unbelieving. It had taken a long time for her to get caught in the oubliette.

"No, dear Sarah, I said _an_ oubliette. There are more than one, and I would, as should you, have been rather offended if he surpassed your speed and agility," Jareth replied with a look that somehow conveyed respect and lust at the same time. Sarah was unsure if she should be pleased with the great compliment or miffed from the insult thrown at Alex.

"Pheh," Hoggle spat, "I'd be surprised if he'd make it halfway with the rate he's at. I warned him the Labyrinth takes none too kindly to cheaters, but he ignored it and now he's in an oubliette."

"He cheated?" Sarah blanched, knowing that had to be pretty bad.

"And just what were you doing helping him?" Jareth queried icily.

Hoggle lost a little of his color and started to sweat a little. "I wasn't helping, Your Grace, I was merely stating," he backpedaled, using Jareth's title in supplication. "And he didn't listen anyway, so there's no harm really….. I don't like him and I don't care what happens to him!" His voice rose in pitch as he nervously explained, and at his last statement he glanced at Sarah and that's when Jareth caught on.

"Ahhh, so you are providing 'statements' to the runner because you want to help Sarah out of her predicament, is that it?"

Sarah looked back and forth between the two during the exchange, but she couldn't help but smiling sweetly at Hoggle now for trying to help her even though he obviously didn't like Alex at all. Hoggle was all nerves by now, but seeing that smile gave him a little courage. "Well, yes I am! Sarah's a nice girl and shouldn't be caught by the likes of you!"

Jareth's eyes flashed dangerously for a long second and Hoggle gulped as he realized what he had just said to his king. He may have those thoughts, but one did not say them out loud, and never in front of their sovereign.

The moment passed and Jareth took a different tactic, one he enjoyed far more. "Oh, but you very well know I did not snatch her from her life for mere whim. Alexander said the words and I but played my part." Jareth soothed as he circled his terrified subject, his eyes holding a wicked gleam that spoke of hidden plans. With Sarah now behind him, he slowly inched backward, still speaking to Hoggle. "As for 'the likes of me', I don't know why you think me so evil." He glanced sideways over his shoulder at Sarah, who was staring back, a little on edge from his tone and mannerism. He looked like a man who held all the cards and was merely biding his time. Jareth glanced back at Hoggle momentarily. "Sarah doesn't see me as evil, do you, precious?" He sidestepped behind her and ran a gloved hand over her shoulder lightly and down her arm as he pressed a delicate kiss to her neck. Sarah's eyes closed and her body shuddered at the sensation. When was the last time Alex had made her feel like that? In fact, when had he ever made her feel like that? She knew she should be running far, far away right now, but she suddenly just wanted to sink back and let Jareth have his way for now….

Her mind caught up with the rest of her and her eyes shot open to see Hoggle shaking in rage, fists clenched. She blushed with embarrassment and took a step forward, looking down at her toes, hair falling forward to hide her face slightly. Jareth was still slightly bent and he grinned at Hoggle. He straightened then and became all business again. "But as Sarah well knows, I can be very generous, so go fetch our runner from the oubliette. Must give him a _fair_ chance at beating my Labyrinth."

Hoggle eased up a little but still gave Jareth one last glare as he strode towards the hallway. He spared another look at Sarah, his face plainly saying 'be careful'. And with those final silent emotions, he lumbered off toward the nearest entrance to the area in which Alex was currently stuck.

Sarah turned to face Jareth, her fiery nature returning. "That was mean," she accused.

Jareth shrugged. "I quite enjoyed it." He took a couple steps toward her, closing the distance between them. "And from the looks of it, I think you enjoyed it somewhat yourself."

Sarah took an instinctual step back and bumped into the table. Jareth merely closed the space and put both hands on the table on either side of her, causing her to lean back as he leaned over her. "Don't defy me…," he whispered seductively in her ear.

Her heart was beating out-of-control and her breathing was erratic. She shook her head to clear it a bit and look him in the eye, trying to gain back some of her ire from before. "It was still mean, and… a-and Alex is still coming for me, so you need to… you need to…."

"Need to do what, precious thing?" Jareth purred at her, moving to trail his lips across her cheek.

"You need to take me to bed," she said firmly, finally mastering her quavering form a bit. Jareth leaned back to arch a brow at her and realizing how that sounded, she scoffed. "You know what I mean. You said I could use a room to sleep tonight."

"And so I did." Jareth stood straight and released Sarah from his capturing arms. He smiled and gestured with his arm towards a door. "This way, Sweet."

Sarah began walking quickly in the direction he pointed and Jareth followed at an appropriate distance. As her head swam with emotions and thoughts, all she could hope for was that she'd be tired enough to fall instantly to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillows.

**AN: Sorry this took so long to get here! In the past few weeks I have gone from a job from Magic Kingdom Parking to an internship with Magic Kingdom Sustaining Engineering (which is absolutely awesome btw), I've moved to a different apartment complex, I've gone to a wedding, and to sum up, I've been extremely busy! I didn't want to rush this chapter; I wanted to write something really good for you all and I hope that it is a good length and fulfills a few fangirl moments or at least keeps the plot moving. And hopefully I'll be quicker with the next chapter.**

**Also, thanks to all of you who have favorited or alerted this story! I'm honored that you like it so much. =D Keep reading and reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Dark. Cold. Trapped. A howl of rage echoed painfully off the stone walls of the oubliette but Alex didn't care. This Labyrinth was a hell hole, and he had no clue of how he'd manage to best it, let alone find Sarah and get them back home. He let loose another infuriated scream and pounded at the wall, bruising his hands.

"Will you quit that racket?" griped Hoggle from somewhere in the darkness.

Alex paused, searching for the speaker. Hoggle lit a lamp and held it up to illuminate the oubliette, casting Alex, Hoggle, and the walls in an orange glow. Alex looked much like a sullen child, and Hoggle frowned, wondering how Sarah could end up with such losers as Alex and Jareth. Once Alex regained some composure and Hoggle was sure he'd keep quiet, he spoke again.

"I told yeh the Labyrinth takes no cheaters within her walls. Or on top of 'em for _that_ matter."

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks a lot, Hog-whatever," Alex grumbled sarcastically.

"It's HOGGLE. And do yeh want a way outta here or should I just leave you here in this nice, dark oubliette?"

"Won't, what's his face, Goblin King, get mad if you help?" Alex retorted cynically. Hoggle shuffled awkwardly and looked down at the ground a bit. "Ah," Alex finally reasoned. "Either this does not count as 'helping' or he ordered you to get me out. And with the way you look, I'm guessing it's the second. Why the hell would he do that?"

Hoggle had a few ideas but knew it was best to leave that alone, lest he be found out and thrown into the bog for talking too much with a runner. "Well how should I know?" He raised a door identical to the one in the other oubliette; luckily all oubliettes were equipped in such a way so there was a possible, but hard to locate, exit. The hinges snapped into place on an invisible frame and this time Hoggle managed to open the door to the exit and not the broom closet. Hoggle gestured towards the open staircase and Alex climbed through it, not asking questions about how it was there; he was starting to understand that he would never understand this place.

Upon reaching the top, the stairs behind blended with the pavement so well that there was a chance that an unsuspecting passer-by could fall down the flight without any warning at all. As soon as Hoggle reached the top however, Alex tested the area that should be an open drop and found that it really was stone. A glance up showed a twisting path ahead, for which Alex was grateful. Better than the never-ending path.

Hoggle studied the loathing yet determined look on Alex's face. "If you hate this so much, why do it in the first place?"

Alex tore his gaze away from the path and looked down into Hoggle's face. He wore an expression far different from the petulant guise he had just moments before. Now he lived up to the jibe Jareth had used earlier: Alexander the Conqueror. But his serious demeanor held no love for conquest. To further this thought, he said quietly, "Because I have to get Sarah." Hoggle's eyebrows shot up. This simple statement was as loud as any declaration of love he could have managed. Suddenly Hoggle's opinion for Alex rose a little.

"Why'd yeh do it in the first place?" Hoggle asked forlornly.

Alex sighed and began walking forward, tracing a winding path through the stone walls, not sure which routes were the correct ones but making choices all the same. Hoggle followed, the question still in his eyes. "I was angry she didn't want to marry me," Alex finally provided. He shook his head. "She even gave a few good reasons as to why not yet… but the rejection drove me crazy. I really must have been crazy to start quoting that stupid book at her, just to show how the rejection hurt. And now look, it was all real and I should have never said those words."

Alex was met with brooding silence as Hoggle let that seep in. The Labyrinth, Hoggle included, had encountered many runners that had a similar attitude; they did not believe in magic and the creatures therein, and therefore they harbored hatred towards it because something that was not supposed to be real had 'stolen' away a loved one. One runner had been very different though. Oh sure, she had hated the Labyrinth from time to time during her run, but she had truly believed in magic; she understood the power of words and realized soon on that it was her mistake and her fault for the ill-fate that had fallen on her, even if she deemed it all to be "unfair". Yes, Sarah wasn't like the other runners.

_Why had Sarah fallen for such an ordinary boy? _Hoggle thought. She was far more special and deserved someone who was just as special. He had to give Alex credit though. Most had hated the Labyrinth so much that they spent more time angry than trying to solve it, and some had even given up because they couldn't stand it. Alex was furious, but he was doing his best to find Sarah and get her out. It was admirable, and maybe, just maybe, he truly loved her with all his heart.

Hoggle bumped into Alex's legs and looked up to see why he had stopped.

Before them lay a well wreathed in flowers, and upon the well sat a beautiful woman. Her silvery blonde hair flowed down her back and disappeared a little into the well and her dress was all different shades of blue that flowed together and looked as if she lay in a vertical river that extended from her shoulders to her ankles. Her eyes were blue as well. Alex stood a little agape, but Hoggle glanced behind warily. The walls had shut and they were trapped in this beautiful scene.

Finally, Alex swallowed and managed a few words. "Who are you?" he gasped out. The woman giggled, and her voice bubbled like a brook.

"I am a naiad and protector of this well," she replied smiling. The smile was not all that reassuring. As if suddenly realizing the danger hidden in that smile, Alex turned about to realize they were trapped.

"Oh no, how do we get out?" he hissed at Hoggle. Hoggle shrugged.

The naiad answered to his whispered question. "I can provide safe passage through this well to an adjoining one further into the Labyrinth. I will need payment. To refuse and I will let you exit unharmed, but further back towards where you began, and to cross my path without my consent would be… unwise." She grinned, white and slightly pointed teeth gleaming at them.

Alex decided to not try and find another way this time. The consequences seemed to have risen. He looked around and noticed the bag hanging from Hoggle's waist. "What about that?" he asked the naiad, pointing at the bag.

"Thems mine!" Hoggle yelled in horror, clutching at his bag of jewels. The naiad paid no attention to the reaction but nodded.

"Yes, those would be payment for safe passage for two."

"She can't have my jewels!" Hoggle raged.

Alex looked a little impatient. "I don't have anything to offer her that she'd take. It's our only way to get safe passage!"

"We can always go back," Hoggle pointed out.

"But if I waste anymore time, I might not get to Sarah. You don't want to leave her in here do you?"

"Well of course not, but-"

"They're just things, Hoggle! But Sarah needs help, and we need to get to her before time runs out! Please, for Sarah."

"But we can find another way…."

"It won't be fast enough! Give her the jewels so we can save Sarah!"

Hoggle couldn't argue anymore. He'd do anything to help Sarah. She had once looked at his jewels for payment, but had found her own form so as to not take his things. Now Alex refused to take another way, and they had to get Sarah out of here, before Jareth could keep her prisoner forever.

"Alright," Hoggle sighed. He untied the bag and held them solemnly out. Alex snatched the bag without a second glance and handed it to the naiad.

She smiled and waved her hand once around the edge of the well. "Jump in and you will reach the other side safely," she instructed. She turned her attention to the bag, opened it, and started peering at her new possessions.

Alex smirked grimly. "Well, let's go, Hoggle." He shut his eyes and teetered over the edge into the abyss below.

Hoggle gave his beloved possessions one last look and followed, closer now to saving Sarah.

**AN: Sorry this chapter took such a long time to post! I wrote most of it right now. Would you believe me if I told you I've been trapped in a labyrinth for a good majority of my time? No? Well you should, cause the tunnels under Magic Kingdom are confusing and full of odd creatures, so that's definitely labyrinth-like in my books. Anyway, I have been very busy at work, I have been sick (again) and trying to enjoy my time here on my internship, which has left little time for being on my computer and writing my fanfic. But trust me, I will not abandon it! And I got past an Alex chapter, so it should be easier to handle the one after this. Hope you all like the character insight on this chapter. Also, thanks to all who have favorited this story or myself and of course those who have reviewed. =) You all are the best!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sleep was an elusive miscreant. Sarah tossed onto her back and reached around to pull the pillow over her head as she groaned in frustration. She had been tired, but the constant thinking was driving her mad. Where was Alex? Was he ok? Was Hoggle with him? Why was she slightly attracted to Jareth and his advances?

_No No NO! _her mind railed as she squashed her pillow, hoping to lose a few of the offending brain cells as she cut off her air supply for the moment. She did not find the Goblin King nor his devious actions alluring! He was a bad influence and had stolen her brother and now held her captive and his pants were much, much too tight…. ARGH!

She rolled out of bed, sprawling to the floor in a heap of tangled covers and nightgown. Of course that horrible fae-man would have a slinky, white nightgown for her to use. She wrestled with the sheets and stood, facing a long mirror. In the dim light she could see how the nightgown was tailored to fit her perfectly, and she looked breathtaking in it. How did he manage things like this? It was infuriating.

Too awake and perturbed to find sleep, she adorned a green robe, which matched her eyes of course, and opened her door. She was unsure of where she planned to go or what to do when she arrived there, but walking seemed to be more likely to wear her out than tossing and turning in bed. Maybe she could clear her head as well.

She peered into the hallway, and just as it had been in her room, there were windows that allowed the moonlight to stream in and illuminate the passage. As the hallway joined a larger walkway, there were torches to light it, as there were fewer windows. Noting that there were no other beings within sight, she latched her door behind her and began wandering.

Sarah tried to clear her mind and let her other senses fill her thoughts. Her bare feet padded on the cold stone, muffling her light footsteps. A soft breeze rolled down the hallway, tugging at her hair and the trailing edge of her gown. She could smell the smoke from the torches and an underlying smell… cinnamon? It smelled like magic. She smiled at that thought.

As she walked further and further through the castle, she soaked in her surroundings, letting them numb her mind. She happened to come across the throne room, and as she peeked in, she found many of the goblins sprawled out and snoring. She put a hand to stifle a giggle as she saw one goblin using a rather frazzled chicken as a pillow. Sarah's expression became pleasantly surprised as she realized that she loved the little odds and quirks of this place. She shook her head. College was fine and she had finally begun to enjoy normal life. Her last wish was to once again become attached to fantasy, only to have to live with boring normality. Sarah may have spent time in this place, but it was not her world. She glanced at the clock and quickly noted that it was just less than three hours since Alex had started. Ten to go. With a last look into the room, she continued her way down another hall.

Down another walkway, murmuring assailed her ears. She paused, uncertain of who was speaking or what she should do. Should she turn back? Instead she crept forward, her curiosity piqued.

Soon the voices formed words and she recognized that they belonged to some goblin and the Goblin King himself. She stopped near the open doorway and listened.

"-checks like youse asked. Last runner girl not doin good," the goblin reported solemnly.

"Is she depressed like the others?" Jareth asked, voice and emotions muted.

"Yep."

Jareth sighed. Sarah peered around the door and saw that he had his head buried in his hands. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she felt sad herself. She'd never seen Jareth so vulnerable.

"Did you remove every last picture, every last evidence of the child's existence?"

"Yep."

Jareth looked down at a crystal he had on his desk and spun it lazily until he found the angle he wanted. After a moment he pushed it away and spoke, still looking at the table where the crystal had been.

"I've removed her memory. She does not remember running the Labyrinth, or losing her daughter, or even having a daughter to begin with." He sighed again. "No one has memory of the girl, and yet, she's depressed for no reason. Just like the few others." He peered at the rather uncomfortable-looking goblin. "I have no idea why they're reacting this way. My only thoughts are they can feel the loss even if they do not remember who it is they lost." The goblin nodded sympathetically. "How is the gir- goblin?" he amended.

The goblin perked up. "She doin great! She love livin withs us." He grinned happily at Jareth and Jareth managed a tight smile back.

Suddenly his eyes flashed up and he noticed Sarah standing in the doorway, a strange expression on her features. She looked away sheepishly.

"You can fill me in on anything else later. You're dismissed." The goblin made some semblance of a bow and trotted on out, sparing Sarah a confused glance before tiredly making his way down the hall.

"Please enter, Sarah," Jareth called, tone still weighted from the heavy news of before.

Sarah stepped in the room, playing with the tie around her waist that kept her robe closed. She hesitantly took a seat across the desk from where Jareth was seated when he gestured she should. She managed to clear her throat and said softly, "I'm sorry I eavesdropped."

Jareth nodded once to show he accepted her apology and held no ill will for the action. "I take it you caught a lot of that?" Sarah nodded guiltily. "Magic doesn't solve everything," he smiled, a little cynically. "Contrary to popular belief, I did not create the rules here. I simply follow them. Now I may bend them to my liking, but I cannot break them. Children from unloving families become goblins and have a far more loving family within my kingdom. Those who lose the children are returned to the Aboveground and I remove their memories." Here he stared piercingly at her. "I can be cruel," he quoted. "But I choose not to unless it is necessary." He leaned back in his chair, looking exhausted and looked away. "However, I cannot seem to cure the hole placed in some families that truly miss their forgotten loved ones. But they did not beat the Labyrinth, as you did. They did not earn them back, and I am in no position to return something they did not earn."

Sarah watched the Goblin King as he told her these heartfelt secrets he kept. She was seeing a whole different side of him. He was no longer the cold, magical being, but a man with worries and concerns and flaws. And she had never truly understood his… well his work, she supposed. To think he was bound to rules that made him take children, and that he felt remorse for those who were truly sorry. But in a way, he was giving every child he took a home that would appreciate them. It was a more magical version of child services, but one that didn't pass children around. She never realized how what Jareth did was actually good in many ways. Nonetheless, she was glad she had gotten Toby back. Toby. She couldn't imagine the hole that would have been in her life had she lost him. Her thoughts of what could have happened if she had lost Toby and of a down-to-earth, flawed and saddened Jareth and all the other thoughts that had drummed through her mind all night finally broke her down just a bit. Tears came to her eyes and silently rolled down her cheek.

Jareth glanced up and his eyes widened as he saw Sarah crying. He stood from his chair and quickly rounded the desk, crouching in front of her so he could look up at her downward facing gaze. He reached out and brushed a tear away with his thumb as he cupped her face. "Don't cry," he whispered, begged. For some reason, this only made her cry more. Jareth reached forward with his free hand and grasped her hand, stroking the back of her hands in a soothing manner. "Shhhhhh…" he whispered.

Finally she laughed a little and started wiping away tears and sniffing to keep more from coming. "Sorry again, I'm just being silly. I don't even know why I starting crying in the first place."

Jareth smiled warmly, glad she was getting some of her cheer back. "You're not silly. And you don't need to explain. But if you'd like me to help get your mind elsewhere…." And at that he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, returning once again to his incorrigible self. Sarah swatted his arm playfully and he laughed, kissing her on the forehead as he rose to his feet. She touched her forehead briefly, pulling her hair behind her ear shyly in the process.

"So do tell why you are wandering my castle at this late hour? Not planning on sneaking out in a robe are you?" Jareth grinned, leaning back against the desk.

"No! I couldn't sleep. Too much to think about." She glanced at the crystal on the desk.

"Ask the right question," Jareth prodded with a hint of a smirk.

Sarah breathed a deep breath. "How did Alex cheat?"

Jareth's eyebrows went up, but soon decided that he shouldn't be surprised that she'd want to know that. "He could not find a turn on the never-ending path. He decided to scale the wall. Imaginative, but clearly cheating. He made it to the top before the wall swallowed him."

Sarah looked a little disgusted at the word 'swallowed', for she knew that it probably really did swallow Alex like some great monster. She sighed and shook her head.

"Sarah, this Labyrinth brings out and challenges a person's worst qualities. In your case, it simply challenged your idea of life being fair when in fact it isn't. It also taught you not to be so rash- don't look at me that way, Sarah, you know it to be true. You overcame those obstacles and conquered my Labyrinth. But not all learn lessons while they are here. If there is any sense of what is fair, Alexander certainly does not play by it."

"No, he's a good guy. He wouldn't act like that if he weren't here," Sarah denied, standing and pacing a little in agitation.

"Are you so sure? People rarely change character, and a change of scenery is not going to be the cause of that change. And what about his other characteristic? That of not liking things he does not believe in, even if they are shoved under his nose? Those who hate magic do not change their mind about it, certainly not here. He probably loathes it more."

Sarah frowned. "Not everyone has to like the same things. And he cares about me, he loves me."

Jareth looked at the ground, shook his head slowly, sadly. Quietly, he uttered, "I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside-down and I have done it all for you." He looked into her stunned eyes and asked, "What does he have that I do not? Why do you not believe when I say the same, yet you take someone who hates part of what makes you at his word?"

Sarah backed up as if physically forced back by his words. She had no answer for him at all. Once she had thought him the villain and herself the heroine, and those could not mix. Now? Now she was uncertain about everything. All she knew was that life at home, life with Alex, was safe and secure and she could be happy. Here? Here it was dangerous. Exciting, yes, but she did not know what awaited her if she chose this path. She stared at him, lost.

Jareth could not bear it anymore. He crossed the narrow distance between them, clutched her waist and tangled his fingers in her hair, and kissed her hard on the mouth.

At first, she was so shocked all she could do was stand rigid with her eyes wide open. But then…. Then her body reacted. His kiss was fire, needy and demanding, ravaging her lips until she was drowning in the sensation. Her eyes fluttered shut of their own accord and when she responded, he clutched her closer to his body, drinking her in like a man dying of thirst.

As soon as it had started, it was over. Sarah opened her eyes dazedly, her hands clutching at empty air, her lips swollen from exertion. Jareth stood a few feet away breathing raggedly, looking slightly shifty and unsure, not at all his normal kingly manner. With a last glance, he strode out the door and down the hall. Where to, she did not know.

And as Sarah put her hands down to her sides and attempted to restart her brain to analyze what just happened, she blushed when she realized that she was bothered, but not because of his actions. No, she was bothered because he had stopped and left, and she was not sure as to why he acted so. And she was bothered because her thoughts and actions had betrayed her boyfriend, even more so because she had enjoyed it. She blushed more. Oh no, what mess had she gotten herself into this time?

Danger might be the end of her, but my, was it ever enticing.

**AN: And since I took so long on the last chapter, I bring you this chapter as well! Hope you aren't on overload (I certainly am). And I hope that Jareth didn't come across too out of character. Everyone has got a side they don't show to the world so much. I figured he'd let it slip in front of Sarah. I'd really love to hear thoughts, reactions, etc to this chapter. I'm curious to hear what you think! =D **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The problem with wells is that they are hard to climb out of.

That damn, conniving naiad had failed to inform them that the well might transport them but that it would not spit them out onto ground level. Alex threw his fist against the water in rage and only accomplished sending a wave over Hoggle's head.

Hoggle sputtered and tried to tread water as best as a dwarf could, which wasn't much. "Oh, you've really done it this time!" he groused as he clung to the wall.

"Well griping at me isn't going to get us anywhere," Alex glared. He stared upward and let loose a bellow. "HELP!"

"Who d'you 'xpect's gonna come get us out?"

"I don't know, but we can't get out alone."

"What if no one comes?"

"Then I'll throw you out."

"You couldn't throw me past your-"

"Who speaks? Show thyself, villain!"

Alex and Hoggle paused, both sporting identical looks of confusion and gazed upward to the patch of sky they could see.

"Hello? We're stuck down here, help us!" Alex called up.

"Villainous monster! You shall not swallow up good people! Ambrosius, CHARGE!"

THWACK! CLANG! CLUNK! CLACK!

Up above, Sir Didymus was attacking the well, a regular Don Quixote. Hoggle shook his head at the antics of the knight.

"No, we're IN THE WELL. We just need a way out! Throw down a rope!" Alex tried.

A shadow fell upon the well-monster's victims and Sir Didymus peered down. "I have slain the beast! You are free, fair folk!"

"Yes, that's all well and good, now get us out Didymus!" Hoggle complained.

"Shall I throw down a rope?" the knight queried.

"YES!" Alex and Hoggle shouted.

"As you wish!" Didymus called out merrily and unfurled a bit of rope he kept in his saddlebag. He tossed it over and tied it at the top so they could safely scale the wall. Within a few moments both were standing on solid ground looking no worse for wear other than being soaked.

"Why Hoggle!" Sir Didymus exclaimed happily. "I did not realize it was you in the belly of the beast! However did you get there?"

"With a stupid decision from this one," Hoggle griped, pointing at Alex. With a confused look from the fox, Hoggle introduced them. "Didymus, Alex, the boy that's gots Sarah trapped up at the castle. Alex, Sir Didymus."

Sir Didymus raised his jousting stick at Alex in distrust. "He has sent the fair maiden to be imprisoned? He should not be allowed to live!" Alex raised his hands in surrender with wide eyes as Didymus brandished his weapon menacingly.

"We needs him," Hoggle grumbled. "Or else we can't gets Sarah back."

"Very well then," Didymus acquiesced and lowered his weapon. "We shall go forth and rescue fair Sarah and conquer evil!"

"Yeah…," Alex agreed tentatively. "Let's go."

For the course of an hour the group trekked slowly closer to their destination. They encountered dead ends, a few close calls with pitfalls, and one very vicious dragon whose breath scorched the surrounding walls and Alex's eyebrows. Sir Didymus was dragged away, still shouting, "Face thee, monster! Is that all you've got?" Fortunately, the dragon was caged and could not follow.

A safe distance away from the dragon, which happened to be when they convinced Sir Didymus to stop trying to go back to slay it, Alex slumped onto the ground panting from the exertion. "I think I need a short break," he explained. Hoggle, barely keeping up with them on his short legs, quickly agreed to that idea and sat as well. The three and Ambrosius lounged among rubble. The walls around them had toppled in many areas and the ground looked uneven and had dark fissures here and there. Alex guessed some of the Labyrinth just fell into disrepair over the centuries or more it had been here. This place was timeless.

Alex peered at his watch in the moonlight. "Just over 3 hours." From where they were sitting, they had a view of the castle. It was still far off, but closer than before to Alex's relief. "Think we'll make it in time?" He asked aloud, hoping he would.

"Well, Sarah made it. Mind you, Jareth threw some nasty tricks her ways. You should be grateful he hasn't comes after you yet." Hoggle left it at that, neither confirming nor denying if Alex would reach the castle in time. He hoped so, for Sarah's sake.

"We must not lose hope!" Didymus said with enthusiasm, earning a slight smile from Alex.

A low rumble began, alerting the group to possible danger. The sound was ominous. Alex stood, looking for the source of the sound when he disappeared beneath the rubble, bits of wall and stone floor crashing down with him. Hoggle and Didymus shouted in panic and dismay before they too were engulfed by the trench.

**AN: I'm back! Sorry for the long delay; work got hectic and then the holidays happened. However, I will try my best to be a bit quicker in getting chapters out now. =) And of course, a cliffhanger to make you even more upset with me. Happy New Year!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"That what you saws?" a goblin excitedly pestered another, the one that had just been in Jareth's study, as a matter of fact.

"Yup. Her was list'nen ins when she shouldn'ts! Kingy not happy."

"Us shoulds teach her lesson. Then kingy be happy!"

"Uh, what tho?"

"Hmmmm… me know! Makes her forgets runner. Then her stays here forever!" The two laughed gleefully, thinking they would be praised for putting the once-champion in her place.

The once-champion was currently wandering slowly out of the study and down the hall, not really paying attention to or caring where she was headed. All Sarah knew was that she could not sit still with all the thoughts she had to ponder and that the use of energy made her at least feel she was not going to jump out of her skin at any moment.

Two men loved her. One was offering marriage and a happy, normal life. The other, a kingdom and her dreams. What were her dreams anymore? She wasn't quite sure. And who knew if after this incident if the first offer would still be on the table. She should be happy if he didn't hate her forever after this.

Sarah looked up in shock at that realization, coming to a halt. It had been a simple thought at first, but it had turned over and over until she almost couldn't breathe due to the meaning of it. Alex shouldn't hate her for this. She did not wish him here; he wished her. If anything, she should still be angry with him. But she knew that what she thought was truth. He might just hate her because she had a connection to this place. Jareth had told her such and she had denied it, but now it reared its ugly head until she had to stare it in the face. Alex may love her, but hating part of her was unacceptable. That wasn't real love.

But would he hate her? Sarah shook her head, expelling the previous thoughts. No, she couldn't let conjecture seal her fate one way or another. Alex was coming for her. If he made it, she'd see how he felt and acted, and she'd take it from there.

She was about to continue her walk, still mulling over some of the thoughts, when a distant rumbling assailed her ears. Eyebrow raised in question, Sarah approached a nearby window and gazed out at the darkened Labyrinth. The moon showed the maze in sharp relief, carving shadows where walls hid the inhabitants yet illuminating it so perfectly she could almost trace a path from the beginning to the castle. Movement caught her attention and her eyes roved over the Labyrinth until she saw a section collapse, dust rising in the air. Her mouth hung open in fear. What if Alex was there?

Not a person to sit idly by, Sarah made the immediate decision that she _must_ try and help. She ran down the hall, looking for any staircase that could lead her down and outside. She didn't care she was in a robe and barefoot. She didn't care she was a captive in the castle. She didn't even care what Jareth would think. At that moment she didn't think of any of that, only that she had to do something, and that something was to go to that place and help Alex.

Her feet carried her through the castle, unsure of where she was going. Unwittingly she was making her way back to the throne room where the goblins were still devising their plans for her. As soon as she entered, they scurried over and stopped her path.

"Wheres you goin?" asked a goblin, trying to stop her.

"Labyrinth crumbled. Got to help," Sarah panted, trying to get around him. Another goblin behind her yanked on her robe hard and she spun, exasperated. "What-!" The goblin blew a powdery blue dust from his fingertips and it engulfed Sarah's head. She blinked in surprise before her eyes slid shut and she slumped over, caught by a few of the goblins, as many were awake now from her entrance. They laughed in glee, congratulating themselves on a job well done and carefully laid her down on the floor in front of the throne. Their king would be pleased, so very pleased with them.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Sarah opened her eyes slowly. She blinked at the harsh sunlight glared and she raised a hand sleepily to hood her brow. She sat up and realized she had been napping in the grass, warm from the sun and feeling generally happy.

_Now how did I get here?_ she wondered. She couldn't remember how she had come to be here or why she was here. But as she surveyed her surroundings, a smile spread on her face.

Sitting on picnic blanket next to an array of mostly eaten food were her friends, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle. Ludo was basking in the sunlight much like a cat does. Sir Didymus was calling to Ambrosius to, "Stop rolling around like a common vagrant, you are my steed and should act as such!"

Hoggle looked her way and smiled. "Finally awake then? Too tired out from running the place, are you?"

Sarah laughed. "What do you mean?"

"Well you've been managin' the kingdom's affairs non-stop for weeks now, I'm not s'prised you'd start showin' some wear," Hoggle clarified.

Sarah stared at him, completely baffled. "Managing a kingdom? No I haven't, I've been-" She paused, not exactly knowing what she had been doing, but she caught her reflection in a crystal near her ankle. She picked it up and stared into it, noticing she was wearing a silver crown. Her hand shakily rose to it, her fingers lightly tracing the delicate leaves entwined with an intricate carving of the Labyrinth that embellished the radiant symbol of power that sat atop her head.

Hoggle tilted his head in concern. "Are you alright, Sarah?"

Sir Didymus, quickly picking up on the conversation, piped up. "Yes, my Queen, art thou well?"

Sarah opened her and closed her mouth several times, trying to figure out what was happening. When did she become a queen? She couldn't be…. No, this was impossible. Wrong. Something wasn't right.

"Well she won't be, if you keep asking inane questions all day," a voice lilted from behind her. Sarah turned in time to catch Jareth bending to place a kiss on her head. He took a seat next to her, sprawled out lazily as he looked into her eyes and then to her crown. "Love, don't you tire of that heavy thing? The council adjourned quite some time ago," he chuckled as he pressed a finger to the crown. It twisted and reshaped itself until it fell down around her neck, a silver necklace that matched the one Jareth wore. As she looked down to admire the crown-now-necklace, Jareth turned to her friends and muttered, "Leave us." They bowed and walked away from the hill, back towards the walls of the surrounding Labyrinth.

Sarah looked up as her friends departed, but Jareth gently tugged her chin so she was looking back at him. With a sly smile and something deep in his eyes, he leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. He rested his forehead against hers as he broke the kiss, still smiling. "Thank you," he said in a low voice that only she could hear. "Nothing would have ever gotten done if it weren't for your… womanly charms," he grinned.

Sarah swatted him, not exactly sure what she had done, but knowing from his tone that he deserved the swat. Jareth laughed and ran his hand along the back of her neck, pulling her in for a much longer kiss.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jareth had been lying on his bed, legs dangling off the sides as if he had fallen into the position (which he had), thinking of what had just transpired in his study. If he wanted to win her affection, kissing her without her consent was obviously not the best way to do so. But she had kissed back; he had felt it. Feelings of elation and utter terror at his actions coursed through him. All he knew was that he had lost her once; he would not do so again.

Rumbling echoed in his room and he shot straight up, alert to the impending danger. Something was wrong. He strode to his balcony, tossing curtains aside as he looked out to see what had happened.

A section of Labyrinth was crumbling in on itself. Jareth recognized it to be a portion he had yet to repair; he smiled grimly as he realized he had just kissed the cause of the ruin to befall his kingdom. No matter. Magic was forgivable and allowed him to piece his Labyrinth back together. It had taken quite some time, but some outer portions still needed looking after.

However, no section should be falling apart on its own accord. And as his subjects knew well to steer clear of these places at all costs, Jareth knew Alex must be in the debris somewhere. He raised an eyebrow, somewhat impressed. He had not expected the imbecile to get this far. After a quick study of distance, he knew the boy to still be far off from his destination. Still, best to see what was becoming of the runner. After consulting a crystal to see the state of health Alex was in and assessing his companions, he walked out of his room, intending to send a few goblins to the location. Best to start repairing now before more idiots fell through holes.

He arrived to cheering in his throne room. Instantly his eyes narrowed as he searched for the cause of such elation. Finally his eyes rested on Sarah, asleep in front of his throne. He was reminded of hunting dogs bringing in a kill to lay at their master's feet.

Kicking aside goblins as he strode over, he reached Sarah and found her to not be in a normal state of sleep. Besides, how would one sleep in this cacophony?

"QUIET!" he roared, earning complete silence and not a short amount of fear from his subjects. He examined her unconscious form and stood up, eyes hooded in rage.

"You drugged her?" he asked, deathly quiet. The goblins stepped back collectively, knowing what danger was present but not understanding why. "ANSWER ME!"

A couple of goblins were shoved forward and they gulped looking terrified out of their wits. One cleared his throat. "Her… her was wheres not s'posed to be. List'nen in sneaky-likes. Us mades her forgets. Her won't leave nows." The goblin smiled slightly, still hoping he might be rewarded for his good work now that it was explained.

Jareth turned to look down on her. He knew when she awoke, she would think of when he gave her the peach to show her her dreams, what it would be like to live them. She would be livid. She would be repulsed for having been drugged again. And she would believe that he had ordered it done since his underlings had done it to her. She would hate him and all his work would be for naught.

The Goblin King shook with rage as he realized what had happened. He was very much of the mind to bog every single one of them this instant. But he had more important things to take care of.

"Get out," he said coldly. When none of them dared to move, he snarled as he turned to face them. "GET OUT. OUT!" The goblins high-tailed it out of the throne room, leaving him alone with Sarah.

Slowly shaking his head in distress, he bent over and picked Sarah up carefully. When she was secure in his arms, he took a seat on his thrown and laid her head on his shoulder, holding her for his first and what might be his last time.

**AN: So the plot-bunnies attacked my mind much like the bunny in Monty Python attacks knights. Which is good for everyone, as the plot thickens and you all get a longer and interesting chapter to read. Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. =D And once again, thanks for all the reviews and favs! You all are the best!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

A groan escaped Alex as his vision came back slowly. Ohhhh, his head hurt. He rubbed the sore spot and blinked blearily as his companions looked down at him.

"Art thou alright?" Sir Didymus queried, eyes wide in honest concern.

Hoggle rolled his eyes and moved away with a "Pheh" as soon as he saw that the runner wasn't dead.

Alex sat up and took stock of his surroundings. The stars blinked overhead through the dust from the cave-in; he must have only been out for a moment or two. He was sitting rather uncomfortably on a pile of jagged rocks and stone from the Labyrinth above, but they were far enough down with too little debris to have any easy way back into the maze. But they weren't trapped. As Alex looked around, he was surprised to find tunnels winding this way and that through the surrounding darkness. He hadn't known there were passages right beneath his feet.

"Where do these lead?" Alex asked as he stood up, rubbing his aching backside.

"We shall find out, verily!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, hopping on Ambrosius and cantering towards one of the passages.

"Hold it, Didymus," Hoggle called out. As Sir Didymus returned, puzzled, Hoggle looked over the passages intently, occasionally gesturing to a passage and then looking back up from where they had fallen. Finally he turned to a passage on the left. "That goes to the forest."

"What forest? And we're trying to get to the castle, not a tree," Alex pointed out.

Hoggle rolled his eyes and answered him as he pulled an unlit torch down from near one of the tunnel entrances. "Well if yeh'd rather take that one," he pointed to the center passage, "and end up lost, or perhaps that one," he pointed to the right passage, "and get to the wastelands where dying of thirst is better than gettin' eaten by what's out there, or maybe we should take _that_ one," he pointed to the last passage behind them, "and return to the beginning, well be my guest," Hoggle spat, tearing cloth to wrap around the torch. Sir Didymus fished out a tinderbox from his saddlebags and handed it to Hoggle who lit the torch.

Alex raised an eyebrow, not at all liking the other options. "You're sure that one goes to the forest?" he asked, swallowing back a shiver and pointing to the left entrance.

"_Yes_," Hoggle groused. He wasn't a simpleton, and as far as the Labyrinth was concerned, he was one of the few who knew their way through the ever-changing maze, probably only second best to the Goblin King himself. Of course, Jareth need not know the way, as the Labyrinth would move and change at his whim, forming into passages that best suited him. However, as in many places, not seeming as intelligent as you really are can prove to be quite valuable, so Hoggle did not often share his knowledge or let other's know of its full extent. He lived up to the fact that nothing in the Labyrinth is as it seems. "Come on," he grumbled, leading the way into the tunnel, torch held high. "And mind that you don't stop. There are worse things in here than gettin' lost."

Sir Didymus kept stride with Hoggle, not the least bit afraid of any dangers they might meet on the way. Alex looked hesitant at that remark, but followed closely. He decided it was best not to ask what sort of things were worse.

**AN: I'm sorry I was gone so long! School is killer this semester! However, I didn't want to write while I was stressed and give you something sub par to read, so I waited till Spring Break. And just to show that I really care and I didn't want to give you this short chapter, I posted the next chapter too! Hope you enjoy both. =)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: This chapter has mature themes in it and has given the fanfic an M rating. Reader discretion is advised.**

**Chapter 12**

Sarah lay under silk sheets with her head on Jareth's bare chest, completely sated. While she still seemed to have something on the edges of her mind that was whispering for an answer, it wasn't enough to wipe the content smile of her face or get her to open her eyes. No, she was living in the moment, replaying the most recent events back again in her mind.

_Jareth, with a look of dark lust, materializing them into his… THEIR room…._

_Her dress cascading down to the floor as his fingers trailed across her back and her hips…._

_His lips on her shoulder as he lead her to the bed..._

_Jareth's skin against hers as he hovered over her, pressing against her…._

Sarah grinned wider and blushed as she thought of a moment of complete pleasure.

"What are you thinking of, precious?" Jareth smirked, feeling the heat from her cheeks and the smile that had spread across her features.

"Like you don't know," Sarah giggled, moving to look at him. _You're forgetting something…_ her mind whispered more forcefully this time, and her smile faltered.

Jareth propped himself up on his elbows to look at her better, a quizzical expression marring his visage. "What's wrong?"

Sarah got halfway through the word 'nothing' before seeing the silent 'bullshit' that Jareth's look now formed. She sighed. "I don't know. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Something important."

Jareth smiled sympathetically, rubbing her arm reassuringly and kissing her lightly on the forehead. "I can't think of anything that requires you to worry. I'm sure it's nothing, love."

Sarah nodded, but scrunched her mouth in a look of not quite ready to let go of the feeling. _You're forgetting something! _rang louder in her head, not taking the reassurances at all.

Jareth seemingly searched her soul with his eyes, trying his best for a solution for Sarah, his queen, his wife. Not finding an easy one, he smiled with mirth and suggested, "I can wish it away if that'd help."

Sarah laughed with him for a second before the alarm bells rang in her head. That phrase had been what the whispers were looking for. "Wish away…" she muttered, eyebrows scrunching. The edges of her sight started going black, like she was beginning to pass out.

Suddenly the realization hit her. Alex. He had wished her away. She was in the Labyrinth, but she wasn't a queen; she was a captive. The edges closed in on her sight as she began to hyperventilate.

"Sarah?" Jareth reached for her, wide-eyed, concerned, terrified. "What's happening? SARAH!"

Sarah leaned back, scrambling away as best as she could in her panic. The room started to tear itself apart and before Sarah could make another move and before Jareth could save her, she blacked out completely.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Sarah gasped for air as if she had just submerged from water, about to drown. Her eyes shot open and she sat right up, eyes darting to her surroundings.

Jareth squeezed his arms tighter around her waist where they had held her, partly from surprise and partly to steady her. "Sarah?" he breathed out low, as not to startle her.

Her breathing calmed and she finally realized where she sat and his arms around her. She stared into his eyes for a moment before she suddenly pushed against his chest, desperate to get away. His arms tightened further, eyebrows scrunched in concern.

"Let me go!" she cried out, feeling hurt.

"Sarah, wait, please, what happened?" Somewhere in the back of Jareth's mind, it registered that he had never pleaded with anyone, but it didn't matter at the moment.

"Like you don't know!" Sarah spat, suddenly infuriated with him. "You DRUGGED me! And then you toyed with me! And- and- you played with my emotions, a-and you tried to make me forget again! And you…." Her voice quavered as she remembered the last part. She had reasoned that just like the peach dream from before, Jareth had entered her dreams, when in fact the dreams she had were just that: dreams. But as she was sure Jareth had been there for every part of it, she couldn't believe he was so cruel as to pretend and love her and… and…. She sobbed at what he had taken without his knowledge. It's not that Sarah wasn't new to the topic, but he had no right to do that when she was vulnerable and had no clue as to why. Tears streamed down her face and she hit him, trying her hardest to make him let her go.

Jareth's heart broke at the pain on her face. And yet, he knew what the goblins had used on her. And from everything she had said, even with the hurt laced through it, he felt a stab of hope.

"Sarah…. Sarah, look at me," he shook her slightly, forcing her to look at him. His eyes saddened when he saw the scared look in her eyes as she looked back at him, rigid in his arms, but not struggling for the time being. Maybe she was looking for a reason that would take away the pain too.

"Sarah, I _did not drug you_." As she struggled again, he stilled her. "I'm telling the truth, Sarah! The goblins acted on their own in hopes of pleasing me. I was furious and they will be punished. I would have done so already, but I had to know you were safe," he muttered the last part, rambling and somewhat embarrassed to reveal so much.

"You were there!" she sobbed, not about to trust him yet.

"No, Sarah, I was not. The peach and the blue dust are different types of magic. The peach is of my own making, and so, I can control it as I wish. The blue dust is a lesser magic the goblins are endowed with, among other things. They mine it, refine it, and can control it. It's a crude form of dreams. The effect when inhaled or ingested is a subconscious state where you dream of your deepest desires. It wears off eventually, but can be broken early, as you did. As you may realize, it's a lucrative substance for them as it's very sought after for recreational use. That's why it's the Goblin City and not anything else, for they own it in a monetary sense, though I rule over it and the rest of the Labyrinth." He felt that the more he explained, the more she would realize he couldn't have contrived the answer, and therefore trust him more and calm down. And not hate him.

Sarah had settled to listen to his explanation, and the hurt subsided to complete confusion to her emotions. She had no clue what to feel now, and the rollercoaster of emotion was still not the most wonderful of feelings. The answer was rational. Could she trust him? He had never given her reason not to trust him. But what he had done…. But he hadn't. It was a dream. It was HER dreams. Oh God…. Sarah's stomach rolled like a ship on turbulent seas as she realized she most wanted to be here and to have Jareth love her. All her other notions of living in the Above Ground and marrying Alex seemed shattered, and even then she wasn't about to let go. Change was unsettling, and this complete and utter turn her world had taken was downright frightening.

Seeing her thoughts in motion and that she was not struggling, Jareth released her from his grasp completely, allowing her to get up if she needed the space. She sat utterly still for a while, staring at a distant wall as she processed it all, and then she stood, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as if she subconsciously missed the feeling of his embrace.

"I should help Alex," she finally whispered, addressing the floor. Jareth stared at her, waiting for anything else, but receiving nothing. He said not a word, neither affirming nor denying her statement. She finally walked off slowly, still hugging herself and looking down at the ground, and finally she exited the room. Jareth watched her every step until she was gone and then slumped onto his throne, saddened, but not entirely without hope. But the silent dejection seemed far worse than yelling and screaming.

**AN: Hope this chapter made up for all that time I was gone! It also took the story to a new level in a few ways, so let me know what you thought about it. =)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The tunnels were vast, as Alex soon found out. They had been traveling for more than an hour, and still they had not reached an opening. Occasionally they would come to a fork where Hoggle stood silently, mentally mapping out where they were and then choosing the correct passage. Alex only hoped Hoggle was absolutely sure they were going to right way. The lack of obstacles were starting to worry him.

"Hmph," Hoggle grunted, looking at another fork they had come to. He held up the torch and let the light shine down each passage in turn, looking at angles and direction. He looked up at the ceiling, looked back at his choices, and then pointed to the left branch. "This way."

"Onward, Ambrosius!" Sir Didymus exclaimed with the same vigor he held when they had first started. Hoggle lead the way with the torch, the knight riding along side to keep within the range of vision. Alex trudged after them, making sure to keep within the circle of illumination allowed for the tight corridor.

He had almost made it into the branch completely when he heard an echo from the other passage.

"Hey! Did you hear that?" Alex called to the other two. They stopped to look at him and the sound was louder this time. It had the eerie quality of a ghostly wail, but the numerous turns were most likely just distorting it. Alex stepped back a few paces to squint into the darkness of the other tunnel.

"Well, we should be movin' on here," Hoggle said nervously, pitch rising and pointing up the way they should be walking. A hollow echo started to accompany the occasional call; footsteps. They were intermittent, as if someone were running for a short way and then stopping before continuing. As the call got closer, it was decidedly feminine and had a worried quality to it, but they still couldn't decipher the words.

"Hold on, what if she's lost in here too?" Alex reasoned. "Shouldn't we help?" He hated wasting time from getting Sarah back, but he couldn't imagine being trapped down here, especially when help was so close.

"Yes! We must help the maiden!" Sir Didymus agreed heartily. Ambrosius whined and attempted to back up a few paces closer to Hoggle.

"Now wait just a minute! Youse don't knows who or what could be down that way! I warned yeh that all sorts of things evil or not is down here!" Hoggle argued.

"Yeah, evil or NOT. Does that sound evil to you?" Alex gestured toward where the sound was emanating.

At that moment, the voice called out, more clearly than before. "Alex?" _Alexalexalexalex,_ it echoed.

Everyone quieted immediately and Alex snatched the torch from Hoggle and thrust it into the other passage where a large gasp emitted.

"Sarah?" Alex breathed incredulously.

"Alex! You're alright!" she called happily, jogging the last few steps to embrace him in a hug. Alex looked amazed, torch still held high, as he gazed at the girl in his arms. He blinked rapidly, thinking he must be shocked since not only her hair seemed to blend in with the darkness, but other features as well, as if a black mist enveloped her. He blinked again and it was gone and the torch flickered and flared, illuminating and darkening her features in the process. He shrugged it off as a trick of the light and of the mind as she pulled back and looked around. "Hoggle! Sir Didymus!" And with that she hugged them each in turn as well.

"What are you doing here?" Alex choked out.

Sarah turned from where she was kneeling to hug Sir Didymus and answered. "I saw part of the Labyrinth collapse! I… I couldn't just stay there and do nothing, especially if you were hurt. I finally made it but got lost in here. I'm so glad I've found you all!" she smiled genuinely.

Alex grinned back. "We can head back then!" His features fell for a moment as he remembered this was all his fault. "Sarah, I… I'm so sorry-"

"Shhhh," she said as she stood to place a finger across his lips. "You didn't know this would happen. It's alright, we're together and everything is ok now."

At that moment, Hoggle made a grab for the edges of Sarah's shirt and yanked as hard as he could so she fell back onto the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Alex shouted when Sarah cried out in shock as she hit the ground.

"Gimme the torch!" Hoggle yelled back.

"What? Are you out of your mind? Look at what you did to-"

"That's not Sarah!" Hoggle growled at him.

Sarah trembled on the floor. "Hoggle, I-"

"Go back to wheres you cames from!" Hoggle shouted at her. Sarah started to cry.

Alex grabbed Hoggle around the neck and pushed him against the wall. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't set you on fire right now," he hissed murderously.

Hoggle gasped and clawed at Alex's while Sir Didymus attempted to intervene. "Hoggle must have good reason for his actions! You must…." His plea for Hoggle's case tapered off as he caught the furious gleam in Alex's eyes.

Hoggle finally managed to gasp out, "Night- mare. ….Not… Sarah." At this Didymus gasped and pointed his jousting stick at Sarah. She stared at Didymus fearfully.

The complete and utter change in the knight's character as he threatened a helpless girl with a weapon was what got Alex's attention. He loosened up on Hoggle's neck and the dwarf breathed in deeply after a few hacking coughs. "What do you mean?" Alex questioned with quiet menace.

Hoggle coughed a bit more in able to speak again. "That's not Sarah. That's a nightmare."

"Alex…?" Sarah called skittishly, pleading laced in her voice. She yelped as the point of Sir Didymus' lance moved to just inches from her throat.

"Sarah wouldn't knows how to gets here, even if she wanted. And do yeh think Jareth's bout to let her just up an' leave? No, that's not her. That's a nightmare."

Alex whipped his head around to look at Sarah. In the dim light, he thought he caught sight of a mist just underneath her, swirling along the floor like a fog. But the dust and darkness could easily look the same as what he thought he saw. He looked back at Hoggle. "She can't be a nightmare," Alex scoffed.

"Where do yeh thinks nightmares come from?" Hoggle sneered. "If dreams can comes from here, they can too!"

Alex stepped back a moment as the words hit him. He remembered Sarah reading from the book that dreams could easily be fulfilled in this place. Hoggle had a point; if dreams could come from here, couldn't nightmares as well? At the moment, this whole place was his nightmare. He turned back to 'Sarah' with shocked eyes, not wanting to believe.

At being found out, Sarah's lips curled into an evil smile. A quick movement of her hand and the lance was skittering down the path and Didymus sailed into a stone wall. She laughed cruelly and stood up, sauntering over to Alex and Hoggle in a swirl of black, glittering mist. Hoggle made a move and was quickly pinned against a wall with an unseen force. And as Alex swiped the torch in front of the Nightmare, she blew out the torch as easily as a candle, her piercing laughter echoing in the pitch-black tunnel.

**AN: And quite a cliff-hanger for you all. I know, evil, but I'm not a Nightmare, I assure you. ^_~**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hi! Time for some shameless promoting of a Labyrinth music video I just made! It has nothing to do with this fanfic, but I hope you will go to YouTube and check it out anyway. =) The link is on my profile change or you may search for "Labyrinth - Cowboy Casanova". It's listed under my YouTube name, sabyspellman1216. I'd be really happy if you checked it out and left comments or maybe even 'Like' it! =D Alright, onto the chapter!**

**Chapter 14**

He didn't know how much time had passed. An hour? A century? When one lived as long as the Goblin King had, time stopped having much meaning. It lost further meaning since he could manipulate it as he wished. Slow it, stop it, reverse it; it wasn't something he did on a normal basis. These things have consequences, but he could do it nonetheless. To make matters stranger, the Underground ran on a different time scheme than the Aboveground. The nights were shorter. The days were a full twenty-six hours, hence the thirteen-hour clock that hung in his throne room. Jareth finally cast an uninterested glance at the clock and realized it was nearing the end of night. Five and a half hours were gone for the runner. Seven and a half and then…. Jareth sighed. Who knew what would happen with either outcome.

He sat up and drew a crystal from the air, deciding he'd at least see which outcome would be more likely. The vision shown in the glass was of a dark place; they were still in the tunnels. He straightened, eyes narrowed as he watched the proceedings. The runner was seemingly choking Hoggle, his subject. While he normally showed little to no concern for those in his realm as they were beneath him, he grew angry at outside threats to his subjects. They had no right. But it wasn't this that made the Goblin King drop his crystal in shock.

He quickly conjured another and stared upon Sarah in disbelief. While she had expressed that she was going to help Alex, there was no possible way she could reach them in the short time she had been gone, even if she found the fastest routes on the first try. He quickly scried for Sarah instead of Alex and that location and he furrowed his brow as he saw she was back in the room she had arrived in. A quick look of the time in which she had left, much like rewinding a tape and watching it play in reverse, and he saw that she had attempted to find a way out of the castle but had given up after getting lost a few times. From the looks of it, she was resigned to ending her task rather than angry and upset. He hated to see her look so forlorn, the fire gone from her eyes. But he had another task ahead of him before he could attempt to make amends with the woman he treasured like no other.

Jareth twisted the crystal and the image quickly switched back to the tunnel. Alex was now looking at 'Sarah' in wide-eyed shock. And 'Sarah' smirked and began to laugh sinisterly.

"Damn," Jareth swore under his breath. A Nightmare. They lived in the deepest darkest places of his Labyrinth and were one of the most dangerous beings to come across in all of the Underground. They were tricky and intelligent. And they were frightening. They knew your greatest fears and manifested into them. Centuries ago, before Jareth had even begun to rule the Labyrinth, a breach in the connection between the Underground and Aboveground allowed a few to escape. They reached countries around the world. They became known as boggarts, poltergeists, and the Bogeyman, among other names. Fortunately, with plenty to feed its whims yet a high disbelief over the years, they remain fairly docile and attack rarely in the Aboveground. But confinement with nothing to entertain them in the Underground caused them to become vicious, violent, and murderous when approached as rarely as they are. The trio in the tunnels were in mortal peril.

Jareth disappeared, the crystal falling and shattering just as the torch went out.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Alex clenched the dead torch with both hands, hoping it would prove a useful weapon against the Nightmare as he swung it blindly. The laughter continued, taking pleasure in his weak attempts.

He felt two beings back into his legs and he knew Hoggle and Sir Didymus had sprinted to join him once the darkness settled before they couldn't find one another anymore. Their backs were covered, but it did not provide much protection against a being who could see them but not be seen. Ambrosius yipped in terror and ran as fast as he could down the tunnel they previous would have taken. He was probably the safest and might outlast them all.

"Show yourself!" Alex shouted, sounding more confident than he felt. The Nightmare giggled uncontrollably at the silly suggestion and Alex glowered. The other two were trying to keep from trembling; they both knew exactly how dangerous a Nightmare could be.

The Nightmare flitted around them, getting close and scampering away at every swing Alex took. It was testing the waters. Soon it realized that this would be the best effort given by its quarry. Time to up the ante and make this more interesting. The Nightmare whispered in their ears, making their skin crawl. They whipped their heads around this way and that, looking for the source they would never see. Growing easily bored, the Nightmare's claws extended to knife length and raised its powerful arm unseen to swipe at its victims.

The claws clashed against metal, sparks flying from the collision and momentarily illuminating a fourth figure standing directly in front of Alex, shielding the three from harm. A single crystal floated to the ceiling, casting a dim blue light on the scene. The Nightmare had taken the form of shadow while it had attacked the group, its claws black and mist-like but dangerous as sharpened steel. Upon the light returning, it morphed back into its original chosen form and Sarah stood smiling up at Jareth. The sight sickened him, but he made no show of it as he gave it his most terrifying stare in return. He moved the sword he carried from the defensive arc he had created above his head to point it toward the creature.

"Begone, Tromluí," Jareth commanded.

The Nightmare sauntered forward yet managing to look somewhat meek. It cast its eyes from the floor to Jareth in a hooded gaze and smiled nervously. "But don't you love me?"

Alex shifted his focus to the Goblin King, stunned and slowly becoming angry, jealousy reigning as he realized the new element dictating this whole situation. The Nightmare seemed almost trivial now, especially since he had never realized what kind of real danger he had been in. No, this being before him was now more than an annoyance that messed with his life. He was a rival and a real threat in his quest to win Sarah back. He began to shake in rage.

Jareth clenched his teeth and released an animalistic growl. "You are not Sarah. I already know your true identity and have spoken it. I am king and master over you, Filth. Succumb to my rule or perish."

The Nightmare, being as intelligent as it was, knew it would have already been struck if not for the form it took. It seemed that it was safest continuing this charade, even when having been recognized, as the king did not want to harm even a vision of what he most longed for. It laughed inwardly at how both the king and the boy were infatuated with this girl, Sarah, and it hoped that it might have the chance to meet her later…. As for the moment, it had lived for so long with so little to challenge it, that the Nightmare rather take its chances than retreat. It lusted for blood.

The Nightmare began to silently cry, looking heart-broken and hurt. "You aren't going to kill me, are you, Jareth?"

Jareth froze at the action. The illusion was so real; a lesser man would have crumbled at the thought of harming the desolate girl before him. But this was no girl.

Jareth shut his eyes for the space of a second. The Nightmare grinned, thinking it had won. And then the powerful Fae shifted his grip of the sword in an imperceptible move and raised it high above his head with a bellow before driving it down through the chest of the girl-figure before him. Alex gaped as he watched Sarah, who was not Sarah, release a silent scream as blood blossomed across her shirt. As her eyes dimmed as her life slipped away, her skin began misting until she had dissipated completely, the mist floating to the floor and sinking into it until it was gone. The blood was gone; an illusion, just like the rest.

Jareth held the sword in the exact same position he had when he had originally plunged it in. He couldn't seem to move and if one were to have extraordinary senses, they would notice he was shaking. A moment later he shook himself out of the trance and inspected the magically laced blade. Only a blade of this kind could kill a creature such as a Nightmare. He lowered and then finally sheathed it, beginning to relax as he reminded himself it was just a Nightmare. Had he been in a better state, he would have laughed at the similarities he held with small children that are told by their parents, "it's only a nightmare," and are yet still found disturbed by the previous events that had seemed so real.

Sir Didymus broke the silence. "Thank you, Sire," he voiced quietly, still affected enough by the event that he did not say this with his normal excitement.

Hoggle nodded, and while he did not like Jareth, he was grateful he wasn't dead. "Yes… thank you."

Alex finally shifted his gaze from where the Nightmare had disappeared and looked at Jareth. His eyes narrowed. It was his fault he was here to begin with. He wasn't about to thank the Goblin King for anything.

Jareth nodded to his subjects and then studied the runner. 'Ungrateful' was a term that crossed his mind as he looked upon Alex. If he had had his way, he would have left Alex to the Nightmare. But he couldn't. He said he would give him a fair chance, and so he would. Jareth knew the word 'fair' was completely arbitrary; 'fair' could have meant leaving the boy to whatever fate came upon him while traversing the maze. But no. Jareth knew his only way to truly win Sarah was to give the boy a fighting chance at winning. If Jareth was the obvious winner, she would never accept it as right. She would leave the Labyrinth seeing him the exact same way as she did the last time she left. And he would never get another chance.

"You have seven hours," Jareth stated succinctly and vanished, a trace of glitter in the air the only indicator he had ever been there.

The crystal also vanished, leaving them in darkness once more. No one said Jareth had to be particularly nice to the runner.

**AN: '****Tromluí' is the Irish name for 'nightmare'. It's pronounced thrum-lee. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, please review! And again, I'd really really be happy if you'd check out my YouTube video! =D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Unaware of the events happening in the tunnels, Sarah strode dejectedly into the first familiar room she could find: the library of sorts that she had first arrived in. She had spent the better part of an hour tracing passageways this way and that, but after finding the main castle doors to be locked, she could find no other way out unless she went out a high window. It wasn't likely she'd be able to scale the wall successfully. It seemed as if it wasn't meant to be. Sarah sighed and sat sideways on the low balcony that overlooked the Labyrinth, her back against the wall and a leg dangling a foot above the floor. She drew her robe around her tightly. It was slightly cool, but it was the security she needed. She was tired and had been emotionally battered in more ways than one. And she knew she should feel guilty about not trying harder to help Alex, but she didn't. The thought made her frown. What did she want anymore?

Her cheeks heated again as she recalled her 'dream'. As hurt as she had been, she had finally calmed down and realized Jareth had been sincere. And she could see the pain in his eyes when she had drawn away from him.

Sarah stood and paced. She loves Alex. She knew she did. He wasn't perfect, no one was, but she had been so happy with him. At least before this. She thought of the times he had shown up at her door with flowers, for no reason at all, or when he carried her books for her to class just because he wanted to. How he had held her when she had cried and had playfully tackled her to the grass just to kiss her. It wasn't the romance of books or movies; it was simple. But it didn't make it any less real, any less meaningful. She had no idea if it would mean anything after this, and the thought saddened her. Losing a love, for whatever reason, is always sad. Whether that would be the case or not, she didn't know.

Her subconscious seemed to have a mind of its own though. She huffed in frustration as she once again returned to thinking of her dream. What part of her wanted it though? She obviously lusted after Jareth a little. But love? He'd been so cruel, so villainous when she had first met him. Even then she had been entranced, but she knew they were never meant to be. They didn't belong together. Now? He had changed little, but the little he had changed was big enough to completely confuse Sarah. He said he had loved her, but did the king really know what love was? He knew self-love for sure. It was possible he just wanted her badly enough that it seemed like love, and then it would fall under self-love. But he was powerful; he could simply just take her as his, couldn't he? Or was he bound by her words from before? _You have no power over me._ He truly seemed to want her to love him in return though. Sarah finally paced over to the balcony and leaned so her palms were pressed against the ledge, holding her up. She heaved a sigh and stared into the Labyrinth, searching for answers she wouldn't find.

She realized that her problems boiled down to one being: the one sprawled out before her. For that was what the Labyrinth was. It wasn't an 'it' in the sense that it was stationary, inanimate. Like ships, the Labyrinth deserved the term 'she'. _And, boy, what a bitch she was_, Sarah thought, cynically. It was the Labyrinth's rules that had caused this mess and the previous one. The whole reason she had even met Jareth. Her life would have been so much simpler if she had been left on her own in the Aboveground. She'd be with Alex. She wouldn't obsess about the place and her adventure, ostracizing her friends and family from her life because they would never understand or want to be a part of that world with her. She glared angrily at the tangled maze laid out in front of her. The moon had set for the night; it seemed the term 'darkest before dawn' really was truthful in a literal sense. Millions of stars twinkled above her, but none of them could provide enough light to adequately illuminate the Labyrinth. Its darkened fingers reached for her menacingly. She blinked, wishing the illusion away. The stars stared accusingly. The darkness consumed her, and with it, her rage. She felt helpless, as if the Labyrinth controlled her fate and she had no part in it. And it seemed to wish nothing but ill for her.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?" Sarah screamed out into the darkness. A few lights turned on in the goblin city, obviously alarmed by the desperate cry. A few wild animals called out mournfully in return from the forest and the inner depths of the maze itself. But no answers. No one there to hold her and tell her it was ok. No one to assure her that she was in control and that everything would end well. She sank to her knees and cried into her arms that were folded on the balcony wall. She missed the shooting star that streaked across the twinkling night sky.

It was several minutes before she had cried herself out. And several more before she calmed down. She felt a little better. She felt warmer, instead of the cold that had been inside. She looked up and noticed the sun had begun to rise and laughed at the reason for her warmness. At least she wasn't in the dark anymore. She pulled herself up, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her robe. She still felt lost, as if told she must navigate the Labyrinth again herself. The Labyrinth was more than a physical thing. It pervaded her mind as well. But whether it was in control or not, she realized that worry was her largest enemy. It could crack her to pieces, just like it had. She decided she would handle what came, not worry about what would or wouldn't be. Hopefully all would work out.

Quickly, the Underground warmed so that the air was stifling in the summer heat. Sarah doffed her robe, discarding it on a chair before returning to the balcony. She breathed in deep, smelling the magic in the air again. The intoxicating smell of mystery and adventure brightened her spirits a little. She took another look at the Labyrinth, and the daylight cast such a different picture this time. The reddish-orange early morning light spilled over the Labyrinth, casting it in a healthy, beautiful glow. The trees and grass were a vibrant green in comparison. The light caught the glittering walls in such a way that they shined and sparkled. It was still early enough that the streets below were still empty, the stillness giving the whole place a calm about it that soothed her. It was absolutely beautiful, and Sarah finally smiled, not able to hate the place anymore. She watched contentedly for quite a while, growing happier with each minute. There was not a place in her world that compared. With a particularly strong gust of the breeze, she smelled salt in the air. Her smile widened, picturing a sea just beyond the horizon. She imagined it would be just as beautiful. Maybe there were mermaids. Perfectly content in her view and her daydreams, she began to hum a tune that she had heard but couldn't remember from where. It made her even happier to do so though.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jareth reappeared in his private armory and replaced the sword carefully on the wall. He surveyed the room appraisingly, as if looking for something out of place. Something to keep him busy. All was perfect and the way he had wanted it, however, and he grew agitated because he _needed _a distraction after all that. He strode from the room towards his own quarters, keeping a fast pace to disperse some of his nervous energy. Once reached, he glanced in the mirror and stopped before it, noticing the war attire he had donned for the confrontation with the Nightmare. Presence could easily alter any situation, and choosing to look powerful made the Nightmare not act as irrationally as it may have if it perceived a weak opponent. Jareth snapped his fingers and returned to black breeches, boots, and gloves and a white poet-shirt. Satisfied, his eyes reached his face and he caught how pale he was compared to normal. He hated how haunted he looked. He was a king; he had done his duty to save his subjects from danger, that was all. He shouldn't look the way he did. He ran a hand through his hair and moved away to lean against the wall. But he couldn't shake the feeling. After a moment's thought, he realized the only way he'd be satisfied and relax once more would be to see Sarah, whether she wished to see him or not. He pushed away from the wall and walked out the room, making his way to where he had last saw Sarah in the crystal. He didn't check now; he needed to see her with his own eyes.

The sun had risen by now and it was streaming in the windows, casting his long shadow on the castle walls at intervals. He finally turned into the library and froze at the sight before him.

Sarah was sitting on the balcony, encased in her flowing, white nightgown. It glowed in the bright early sunlight, casting a glow over her features. He inhaled sharply; she looked like an angel cast down from Heaven onto his doorstep. She didn't hear him however, as she was humming. And that left him all the more stunned. He wondered just what he had ever done in his life to get a beauty like her to fall into it. He stepped forward slowly, finally making his presence known as he filled in the words she could not find as she hummed the melody that haunted her dreams.

"I'll paint you mornings of gold... I'll spin you Valentine evenings…."

Sarah spun and abruptly stopped humming at the sound of his voice. She gaped, more shocked by her choice of songs to hum than anything. _As the world falls down_…. Ohhh, didn't she feel like that was happening to her right now. Her world was falling apart. Only time would tell if a new one, a better one, would form in the ashes. Or not.

Jareth was instantly saddened her melodic humming had ceased. He stopped where he had stood when Sarah had turned. Her eyes showed signs of crying; his eyebrows creased, knowing he was at fault. The seconds ticked by, neither moving, just watching the other in surprise and sorrow.

Jareth took another hesitant step forward. "I had to see you were alright," he whispered, knowing full well she'd have no idea about what he had just witnessed, had just done. She continued to stare, her eyes moving quickly as she took him in, noting the look in his eyes. The relief and slowly fading fright, as if he thought she had died, scared her. She didn't know why. She finally nodded, still not speaking, still not taking her eyes off him.

He had slowly made his way forward until he was a few feet from her. Her eyes creased, knowing something was wrong, or at least had been wrong, and despite her recent decisions, it made her worry. She looked at his quizzically and Jareth's resolve broke. He took the couple of steps he needed, kneeled, and embraced her in a tight hug. Sarah's breath quickened in alarm. "Jareth? What's wrong? What happened?"

Jareth squeezed her a little longer, so grateful she was really here, and finally pulled back he could look at her, his hands still on her shoulders. "A creature, a Nightmare, was threatening your… friends… in the tunnels below the Labyrinth floor. It sought to gain their trust and inflict the most damage in the process, and so it took your form." Sarah gasped, eyes disbelieving and horrified all the same. Jareth continued. "This creature is very dangerous, Sarah. I went to save them. I… dispatched it myself." Sarah saw the hollowness in his eyes as he spoke those last words, imagining the scene herself. She shuddered at the thought of if she had come across something that took the form of someone she cared for and had to…. Jareth hugged her again and she stared distractedly at the far wall, feeling far away, as if her mind was letting everything go as an escape from the battering of her emotions. She wrapped her arms around Jareth distractedly, comforting both of them in the action. As he pulled back, her mind started to catch up as she realized he was torn up over killing something that looked like her. For some reason that spoke louder than any declaration of love he had made thus far. She couldn't attribute this emotion to lust. And as her mind snapped back into the moment, the emotions came with it. She breathed heavily with that last revelation, her eyes misting. Jareth looked at Sarah, mouth slightly open as if he was about to ask what was wrong, why her demeanor had suddenly altered, when she leaned forward and kissed him.

Jareth's eyes snapped shut, eyebrows disappearing into his hair in surprise for a moment and slowly moved his lips grazed across hers. They both moved achingly slow, needing to feel each other, just knowing the other was truly there. His hands found hers and their fingers entwined, his thumbs tracing patterns across her skin. Her tongue hesitantly traced his bottom-lip and he groaned in ecstasy, releasing her hands to pull her to him, his mouth now at her neck. But a second later and her guilt caught up, her hands pushing lightly against his shoulders so that he pulled back a little, but not far enough to let her go. Her eyes squinted shut; she loved two men and would have to lose one of them. She wanted to tell Jareth was sorry, that she wished she could make an easy decision one way or another instead of pull him along for what may or may not be. Her eyes closed tighter and her mouth barely opened in a silent cry of pent-up guilt and frustration.

Reading her like a book, Jareth pushed up her chin and her eyes opened to look into his. He looked serious and determined, but softened. "The world is not falling down, Sarah, as much as it may feel like it is."

Her eyes teared, having heard voiced exactly what she had been thinking moments ago as if he knew her soul. He leaned in to kiss her sweetly, lasting ages in just a moment. When he pulled away he leaned so his cheek rested against hers, letting her rest in his arms, feel safe and secure for the first time she'd been there. He whispered into her ear, "And I meant everything I've said. I would paint you mornings of gold. Give you Valentine evenings. And I love you, Sarah."

Sarah clutched him tighter. "I know," she replied softly. She sighed and let her eyes close, just letting herself have the moment rather than thinking of Alex or anything else.

They held each other while the rising sun painted a morning of gold all across the Labyrinth.

**AN: Well I hope you really enjoyed that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. =) Just so you know, there is an excellent video I've favorited on my page on YouTube that has the song "Running Up That Hill" redone by Placebo that was just haunting and I loved it so much I have downloaded the song and used it to help inspire me to write this chapter. The tone of the song is about the same tone for the chapter (maybe not the lyrics themselves). But if you're interested, check out the video (again, it's one of my newly favorited Labyrinth videos and it has the song name in the title) and maybe you'd enjoy reading this chapter with this music playing in the background (or rereading with it…. Don't lie; I know you all reread this stuff occasionally just like I do! ^_~ ). Oh, and by the way, I had this scene (at least the idea for this scene) planted in my head since I started this thing haha. Funny how a few thoughts for a story create everything else in the process. =)**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank you all so much for reading and the favoriting and the reviews; you all are awesome! Please keep reviewing; I love hearing your thoughts on the chapters!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Silently, due to the downtrodden atmosphere, the trio relit the torch and continued their way out of the tunnels. Fortunately, no incident occurred as they made their way, though Sir Didymus could feel the animosity between Alex and Hoggle. The Nightmare may not have won, but it had done its job.

It was an hour later when a turn revealed light streaming in to meet them. The sun had risen, and they had finally found their way out. Each of them smiled, their spirits remarkably better after leaving to horrors of the caves behind them.

Alex just didn't know there would be horrors in front of him as well.

"AAAUUUGGHHH!" he yelled, and made a dive back towards the tunnel-entrance.

Hoggle and Sir Didymus looked at Alex, somewhat alarmed, and then turned to the monster at hand.

"It's jus' Ludo, yeh moron," Hoggle called at him. Not that he'd ever tell him that his first reaction to Ludo was much the same, even if it had been Ludo's terrifying howls rather than his appearance.

Ludo smiled at the two and was sitting on a log in the forest, as if he'd been waiting. Which he had been, as under one enormous hand was a panting Ambrosius, currently being petted and in good, happy shape despite the mad-dash he had made through the vast tunnels.

"Ambrosius!" Sir Didymus exclaimed happily, and Ludo lifted his hand for the knight's steed to return to his master. Ludo braced his hands on his knees and pushed himself up.

"Brutha! Fwend!" He smiled at the pair and then looked curiously in the direction that Alex had run and was now slowly returning from.

"He's a… friend, too, Ludo," Hoggle said grudgingly but making the introduction easy to keep up with. "Ludo, Alex. Alex, Ludo, another friend of Sarah's."

Alex was thinking that Sarah had the strangest taste in friends at the moment, but didn't speak upon it. "Hi," he said to Ludo, not sure what else to say.

"Alex…" Ludo said, as if trying the name on for size. "Alex, fwend!"

"We go forth to rescue Sarah from the castle, my brother!" Didymus explained to Ludo, mounting his steed. "Wilt thou join us?" Ludo nodded with a smile; hearing Sarah was there brightened his day, just like it did with many others in the Labyrinth. She may never know it, but she was well loved, or at least respected, by many of the inhabitants there.

"Forward!" Sir Didymus exclaimed and cantered forward, leading the way north through the forest toward the castle. The motley crew trailed after.

The terrain soon worsened as they made their way toward their destination. Small hills turned into large hills and eventually lead to a small cliff-face a few feet over Ludo's head. Upon seeing this, Alex immediately looked around for a way around or footholds to climb up, but was suddenly deterred from doing anything other than covering his ears as Ludo began to howl. Alex turned to Hoggle, his mouth open to phrase a question before a gesture cut him off. Hoggle pointed at Ludo and Alex turned to notice that boulders were rolling down a nearby hill and stacking into a neat staircase next to the cliff's edge. As soon as they had reached their positions, Ludo smiled wide and began his climb up the rocky stairs. Alex lowered his arms and mouthed a silent, "Wow," before following the rest up.

The group realized at the top that Ludo's calls had not just summoned the rocks.

"What was youse makin' that racket for?" a Fiery questioned, jumping in their path, his head in his hands to better look around as his arms moved his head every which way. A few more Fierys were dangling from tree limbs or dangling their own limbs behind the one that had spoken.

"Nothin'," Hoggle replied succinctly, knowing it was best to keep on moving from this bunch.

Not to be deterred so easily, a few Fierys moved in closer with a curious look at Alex. "Who's this one?" a Fiery asked with the beginning of an overly stretched smile lighting upon his features.

Another one cackled with mirth and called, "Can it takes off its head?" A few more nodded in happy agreement that this would be a most delightful way to spend the morning.

"My head?" Alex muttered, somewhat alarmed at the idea.

Hoggle grabbed the front of Alex's shirt and pulled him down to his level. "Don't talk to em. Thems look harmless now, but give em enough time to finds somethin' sharp and they'll finds a way to get your head off." Hoggle glanced at the group of Fierys warily. He'd seen the aftermath of their "game" when someone else accidentally stuck around for too long. They were only lucky that these particular creatures weren't very persistent and gave up entirely when the victim left the forest. The best thing to do was to be as uninteresting as possible and not say a word. Sometimes they would not pursue at all if they found someone who blatantly ignored them. Hoggle let Alex go so he could return to an upright position and then eyed Didymus who was measuring up the "foes" and his lance. He caught the knight's attention, shook his head once, and mouthed, "Sarah." The reminder of their duty seemed to keep the knight from challenging the Fierys. Ludo took the cue to continue on with ease, never having had problems with the Fierys; he was too big to be a decent target for their interest in decapitation.

Hoggle hurried forward in Ludo's wake, Alex and Didymus following, keeping their eyes downcast, hoping this would deter the Fierys. The Fierys had grinned down at the exchange but their grins began to disappear as their newest entertainment was suddenly on the move and as silent as the surrounding trees. "Whats kinda game is this?" one called, slightly confused at the change in events. Another called, "Youse nots playin' right!" and so on, following above them in the trees for a short distance. A few minutes later and nearing the edge of their section of forest and they were losing interest. The red gleam in their eyes died out and a few complained of forgotten body parts and wanting to continue their previous game. With a final glance at the silent group, they swung back to their usual haunt. A rock dropped from the tree above Alex and he gulped as he saw the rather sharp edge on it. Hoggle let a breath he had been holding escape finally, and he sat on a log to rest, a little jittery from the encounter.

Sir Didymus surveyed their surroundings. "I believe we are too far to the northeast! We must turn west if we are to reach the castle beyond the goblin city!"

Alex looked in the direction Didymus pointed but a gleam to his left caught his attention and he moved forward, noticing the trees seemed… different. The canopy dimmed the light in the forest, shadowing the new section of trees that had caught his attention. He approached the section he had seen shining, wanting to know the cause of it. Ludo made a noise of worry and Hoggle finally turned to see what the runner was getting himself into.

Alex had reached the edge of the new trees. "Silver…" he whispered in awe. "The trees are silver…." The grove in front of him was made of solid silver, yet the detail was exquisite. Except for the color and the lack of swaying in the breeze, the trees were carved to show every last sinewy branch and piece of bark, creating an artful impression of life. Alex raised a hand to touch a branch hanging low in front of him.

Hoggle's eyes widened and he yelled, "Don't touch-" as Alex touched a beautiful twig that snapped off in his fingers. Alex turned at the warning and a tight, painful feeling at his wrists made him turn in shock to witness the new evil he had found. The twig twisted and formed, red-hot and molten into a new shape, causing Alex to scream in pain and fright. He scrambled to get the silver off his hands, but he was unable to do anything against it. A moment later, the silver solidified, once again cold and gleaming, but now in a new form.

A twig no more. Alex's burnt wrists were encased in silver shackles.

**AN: Ok, I am SO SORRY that I took so long to get you all another chapter. Recently I've been dealing with a lot of changes and the result is that I've had no muse and no idea what to write. I have a few ideas in place for future chapters, but usually I get a bout of ideas when writing the individual chapters. Wasn't happening at all for me. But I promise this story will be finished! Just might take a while. In the mean time, I hope this short chapter makes up for my absence a little bit. =) Thanks again so much for all your reviews and faves! You all are the best!**

**Aaaaaand, if you haven't checked out my Cowboy Casanova Labyrinth music video on YouTube yet, you should totally go do that. =D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

A clock chiming the hour is what causes Sarah to startle and step out of Jareth's embrace. He doesn't look rattled by her sudden movement; in fact he looks more composed, more like himself. More like the infamous Goblin King. He studies her with a slight frown, his thoughts more on what the hour brings than anything. Sarah looks at a small clock on a mantle in the room, the face too far away to really note the time.

"Five hours left, precious," he whispers, answering her silent question. She nods, not sure what to feel with that bit of information. Five hours…. Five hours until what exactly? Until she was free? Free from what? The Labyrinth or her dull life Aboveground? Free from Jareth or free from Alex? She sighed. Free from the weight of whatever decisions she has to make, surely. Free from worry. Free to continue on with her life, one way or another. The standstill was almost unbearable, but if she were to be honest with herself, the past few years since her first journey through the Labyrinth had been a standstill as well. She just hadn't realized it. But all would be solved in just a few hours. One way or another.

Detecting her soul-searching mood and knowing there were probably pressing matters on his own hands, checking on the runner for starters, Jareth decided it best to part ways for a while.

"I'll have breakfast sent to your room." And with that, he spun on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving Sarah to stare after him. Funny, they had just had a real moment of intimacy and it was almost like they were back to Square One again. She shrugged it off. No matter. In fact, she was grateful he was giving her time to be on her own, think her own thoughts, sort out her own feelings, before time was up. She was certain she would see him again before then anyway.

She spared another look at the bright maze behind her, picked up her discarded robe, and then left the room as well, winding her way down passages to her room.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jareth strode down the hall, cape billowing, giving him a stately manner. There was business to be done. After a quick order for Sarah's breakfast was barked at the nearest goblin, he continued to his throne to lounge, as it was one of his better thinking places, at least within the castle walls.

He drew a crystal and focused on the runner and his whereabouts. His brows lifted in surprise. They were nearing the edge of the forest, very close to the junkyard, for want of better term. Then it was a short hike to the city gates themselves. Fierys were stalking them in interest, but Hoggle seemed to have good sense about how to handle them. In fact, considering he had left them in darkness in the tunnels, they had made it to and through the forest rather swiftly. It seemed as if at least one of his subject had far too good of a working knowledge of the Labyrinth. He'd have to keep a closer eye on that dwarf in the future.

The crystal disappeared with a flick of his wrist. Barring any further complications such as getting lost (unlikely) or dangerous encounters (possible, but the worst dangers were deeper within the Labyrinth), the runner would be at the castle with plenty of time to spare. Jareth scowled. He knew that any chance he may have with winning Sarah over meant he would have to face Alex, give him the largest chance to succeed so that Sarah would be the one to choose the winner. Alex may be the runner, but he wasn't the opponent. Once again, Sarah was. He wondered if she realized that. The question was, would she continue to oppose him, or would she choose to join him? He couldn't answer definitively either way.

The Goblin King snapped his fingers, and after some slight pushing and shoving, one of the goblins was pushed forward to await his command.

"There are intruders that will be nearing the city's outer walls in an hour's time or so. Take a contingent and guard the entrances, including the castle gates."

The goblin gave a sloppy salute and the goblins that had been within earshot whooped and hollered as they happily ran out the doors. If there was one thing they liked, it was the occasional fight and the chance to use their more interesting weaponry. Surprisingly, they were skilled metalworkers. However, some of their inventions were not infallible. Cannons tended to explode occasionally. Lances bent at odd angles so that they were more likely to skewer a neighboring wall rather than an opponent. And recently there had been talk of a 'chicken trebuchet'. Jareth found he was a little more wary of where the goblins had learned the word 'trebuchet' than of the actual weapon itself. Goblins being too smart for their own good was a real danger. They usually smarted themselves into multiple injuries.

Dropping his kingly manner, Jareth slouched where he sat, looking so much more the man than the fae-king. After a bored glance around his empty throne-room, he pulled another crystal from the air. This, however, held memories. He rather thought it was much like the Aboveground's version of "home movies" that they recorded; only his was more easily stored than the multitude of black boxes many families seemed to accumulate. He held the crystal aloft and once again watched himself dancing with Sarah. He hummed with the melody, remembering the feel of guiding her across the floor in graceful steps. His eyes never left her face.

He might scoff at the book Sarah kept, but the words, with all their power, were absolutely true. _"But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl…"_ he thought as he watched her run from him to save her brother once more. He let the ballroom drop with a _crack! _on his stone floor. Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he pulled another crystal, one much more recent. He looked at the embrace he shared with Sarah just an hour ago, still able to feel her warmth on his skin. Her eyes looked different this time. Instead of desperation, as she was desperate to escape and save young Toby, she looked….

Hopeful.

He let this crystal pop like a soap bubble. Maybe he had reason to hope, but he did not dare.

He sighed as the clock chimed the hour. Four hours.

**AN: Yay! Another chapter! This one is a little short, but I decided it was best to keep it minimal rather than make it drag on for no other reason than to make it longer. It filled its purpose. By the way, we are getting really close to the end! This was the hardest of the last chapters because I already had ideas for the chapters following this one, so the final chapters should (if school doesn't interfere) be uploaded more quickly. Anyway, hope you enjoyed some more of the insight to Jareth and the goblins in this chapter and once again thank you all for all the reviews and favs! And if you haven't already, don't forget to check my Labyrinth-Cowboy Casanova YouTube music video! Thanks again! =D**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Alex looked down at his wrists in shock. "How do I get these off?" he yelled at the group, facing them and holding his wrists out for all to see. Hoggle rubbed a hand over his face in frustration as Ludo and Didymus moved forward to assess the damage.

"We'll be needin' to finds an ax," Hoggle grumbled. "At least youse can still walks."

Alex glanced at Sir Didymus, wondering if he might have any such weapon on him. The knight looked at his lance that would not prove useful and shrugged. Ludo stepped forward and pulled the chain with one of his massive hands. He managed to pick Alex up by the wrists, to which Alex yelped to be put down, but strength alone would not help this situation. Hoggle was right; they'd need something sharp, like an ax, to strike through the chain to at least free his movement. How the shackles would come off was uncertain; there was no visible opening on the bonds.

"We has better get movin'," Hoggle said with a wave of his hand to the direction the castle lay. The group assembled again and continued their hike through the forest. Alex managed to keep his pace up without falling, even without the use of his hands for stability. If anything, at least he wouldn't be able to easily touch anything else. This fact should keep him from getting into more trouble.

"There!" Sir Didymus cried a short while later from ahead. "The castle lies yonder!"

Alex jogged the last few steps out of the forest and looked at what lay before him. The sun, now high in the morning sky, was shining on the landscape before him. Piles of junk littered this side of the goblin city, reaching from the city walls right up to their spot at the edge of the forest. The sun gleamed against metal objects, shining brightly in their eyes, like a warning to look away. The castle towered over the goblin city, looking both foreboding and welcoming. Alex supposed it was only welcoming because he was nearing the end of his journey; he was almost there to win back Sarah, to take her away from this nightmare.

"Well, let's not stares at it all day," Hoggle grumbled, starting to lead a precarious path through the odds and ends before them. Didymus spurred his steed onward and Ludo started after the two, not noticing the trash he stepped on as he followed. Alex was slightly more careful where he stepped, and he kept an eager eye out for a sharp object that might free him from his bonds.

The travel through the expanse of garbage was slow going. Alex altered his gaze from the objects surrounding them, to his path, to the city gates that loomed before them, slowly growing taller. He began to study the look of the goblin city. No buildings lay outside the huge, towering walls that surrounded the city. The gates we large and looked as if they were made from metal. 'Must be heavy,' he surmised. The look of the place was starting to pose questions in Alex's mind.

"Hey, this place is a fortress, right?" Alex asked the group.

Hoggle angled his head to look at him from one eye and nodded affirmation as they continued to walk.

"So how do we get in?" Alex blurted, realizing his problems might not yet be over.

Sir Didymus shouted, "We shall fight our way in!" Ludo perked his ears, not looking like he liked that plan all too much.

Hoggle ignored the exclamation and answered Alex. "It won'ts be easy," he answered cryptically.

Alex remained silent for a moment before picking up on the knight's words. "Wait, fight? Does the city have an army?"

"Yup," Hoggle muttered.

Alex's eyes grew a little wider. "An army of _what_?"

"Goblins!" Hoggle growled. He muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like, "it's a goblin city, what else woulds they be?" but Alex refrained from asking more questions.

They were now within a few minutes from the gate without any real plan. Alex looked up then looked down at his feet and past his chained hands, trying to think of any possible ways to get to the castle. He was not entirely sure if any of the group had any ideas.

Suddenly, he focused on his still-bound wrists. He marched forward in front of Ludo and stopped Didymus with a hand to his shoulder. "Make me your prisoner."

"What did thoust say?" Didymus asked alarmed. Hoggle stopped to turn and look back at Alex. He looked like he thought Alex had finally lost his mind completely.

"Make me your prisoner. You're a knight, aren't you? Aren't you sworn to bring enemies before the king to be dealt with?" Alex said hurriedly.

"Why, yes, but-"

"Well pretend I'm your prisoner! They'll surely have to let us pass and get to the castle so I can be turned in! Then we can run for it and I can find Sarah!"

Hoggle raised his eyebrows. Not a half-bad plan.

Sir Didymus thought the situation out. His face scrunched in a look of sadness. "But, thoust wishes me to lie? As an honorable knight, I cannot!"

"You have to!" Alex pleaded. "It may be the only way to make it to the castle. It may be the only way to save Sarah!"

The knight looked torn. "I want to save my lady, but I cannot lie. It is against my oath."

"Well sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do in order to get the job done!" Alex yelled, exasperated. "Sarah needs to be saved!"

Didymus looked downtrodden. "Very well," he said morosely. "I will say you are my prisoner. To save my lady."

Alex smiled grimly and held out his chained wrists before him. Sir Didymus motioned for him to face the gate, and he brought his lance to Alex's back and made him march forward, Hoggle and Ludo in tow.

The gate loomed over them as warning to turn back now. Alex stopped a few feet from it and gulped.

"Open up!" Didymus shouted to the battlements above.

A scrambling noise was heard behind the wall, and suddenly an ill-shaped door on the upper left-hand side of the gate banged open. A goblin stared down at them suspiciously. "Says whos?"

"Says I, Sir Didymus, knight of the realm!" He paused and swallowed back his oath. "I have a prisoner! Open the gate!"

The goblin swiveled his head to look at the shackled prisoner with the lance pointed at his back. "Hangs on," the goblin finally replied and slammed the door shut. There was obvious muttering on the other side, no doubt goblins deciding whether they should open up or not. Finally, after Alex thought their plan had failed, the gate slowly opened to them.

A goblin called over to them. "Youse nots intru- interu- … youse ain'ts tryin' to breaks in, are youse?"

"No," Hoggle replied.

The goblin smiled in relief. "Okays then!"

Hoggle bit back a smile. This would be much easier than the last time.

Hoggle led the way as Sir Didymus continued to 'guard' Alex while Ludo brought up the rear. In just a few minutes time, they had made it to the castle doors without incident. Hoggle pushed open the door with his shoulder and motioned them in. As soon as they had filed into the thankfully empty chamber, Ludo pushed the door back closed with a finger.

Hoggle looked around and found what he had been searching for: a decorative, yet fully functional axe, hanging on the wall. He grabbed it and yanked it off the supports, heading over to Alex. Seeing his motive, Alex knelt down and spread his wrists wide with his forearms steady on the stone floor.

"Holds still," Hoggle muttered. He raised the axe and brought it down on the chain with an almighty CLANG! The chain cut in two and Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Even if the cuffs were still attached, he now had free use of his hands.

Alex turned and saw a clock on the wall. Plenty of time left. But where was Sarah?

"She'll be ups that way," Hoggle answered his silent question, pointing to a staircase, the same stairs that led Sarah to Toby years ago.

Alex looked at the stairs and then looked back at them. "You aren't coming?"

Hoggle shook his head and Ludo looked at Alex sadly. "It's not the way it is done," Sir Didymus said, remembering something Sarah had said when they had wanted to help her in this very place.

Alex seemed to understand the meaning and nodded at them. Without another word, he stepped towards the stairs.

**AN: Hey all! Sorry it took me so long to update! I've only got the climax and denouement (ooh, fancy French term used in writing stories!) to write and this story will be finished! I hope you have all enjoyed it thus far and are anxiously awaiting the outcome. =) Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

An hour of brooding later, Jareth conjured a crystal and checked on the runner. It had been all too quiet for his tastes, especially with time running down to the last moments.

A quick look and he determined that the group was just a short walk from the city gates. The crystal dissipated. He knew it to be unlikely that any goblins he sent to intercept them would impede their way for long. Besides, he knew he would face the boy soon enough. Deciding Sarah must be finished with her breakfast by now, he strode out of the throne room and to her quarters.

When he arrived, he reached for the handle of the door, ready to walk in, but a second thought stilled his hand and he drew it back to knock instead. A called, "come in" was issued and he proceeded as before and opened the door. He didn't see her at first glance; the sun streaming in brightly through the windows threw the room in sharp relief with the shadows created by the furniture and other obstructions. He shut the door quietly behind him and finally located her in a chair near a window, admiring the view. She glanced over and looked taken aback that it was him and not a servant but managed to keep her composure. She was dressed in her clothes she had arrived in. He noticed this at once.

"There is a full wardrobe for your use," he gestured to an armoire next to the bed. "Or perhaps you are readying yourself to return home?"

Sarah huffed and shrugged, slumping in her chair a little. She looked reluctant to provide an answer either way. Finally she replied, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Jareth nodded once in understanding and then strode over to stand beside her at the window. He looked out and down, about where Alex should be. "He is nearing the gates."

Sarah stood abruptly and tried to locate him, unable to do so. "So soon? He-"

"-has had much more help from the inhabitants and myself than you ever did. Do not think he has exceeded your talents in mastering the Labyrinth," Jareth finished for her.

Sarah looked startled by his interruption but had no response otherwise. After some moments, she looked up at him questioningly. "Why? Why would you help him so much?"

Jareth glanced down at her and then frowned, studying the landscape once more before he replied. "He is not the true opponent; he is merely a variable."

"What? But how is that-" Sarah blurted. She was cut-off once more.

"It's you."

"_What?_" Sarah gasped, backing up a step.

Jareth faced her as he continued. "You must know. Alex may have wished you here, but we just began where we left off. You are my opponent, Sarah. What Alex chooses is inconsequential. The outcome is based solely on your choice, nothing more. It has always been as thus."

Sarah gaped slightly and then shook her head. "No, he's the runner; he's the one facing the Labyrinth."

"And yet it is ultimately your choice if you allow him to take you back home or not. You are not one of the unsuspecting children that are sent here. You are capable of making your own decisions. And Alex has little sway on what that might be. He does not own you."

"And you do?" Sarah challenged. "You brought me here against my will _twice_! How am I able to make decisions with you interfering?"

Jareth sighed and leaned forward so he was very close to her, his eyes blazing into hers. "Because, ultimately, _I have no power over you_," he ground out, irritated that she so easily forgot her own words against him. She blushed in embarrassment and mouthed 'oh.'

"And as I have said before, those wished away to the Labyrinth are bound by magic and the rules of this place and those words to be brought here. If you wish to place blame, place it on those who speak the words." He stared at her pointedly, hands on hips and she looked a little guilty, knowing he meant she made her own problems, at least last time. But she shook it off and mirrored his pose. She would not have him frighten her this time. He snorted slightly with a roll of his eyes, dropping his arms.

"Come, it's time."

Sarah quirked an eyebrow and folded her arms, eyeing his stretched out hand warily. "Time for what?"

"Why, time for you to elude your runner by climbing upside-down stairs," he smirked as she dropped her mouth in astonishment.

"I can do that?" she asked in a gasp, putting her hand in his outstretched one.

"If your little brother could, why should you not be able to?" he laughed at her look of wonder and led her from the room and down the corridors to the room.

As they finally entered the room that haunted her dreams for years, she dislodged her arm from his and strode forward carefully onto a ledge that overlooked the room. She turned and gave him a skeptical look. "And I won't get hurt?"

Jareth waved a hand, gesturing out at the room. "See for yourself."

Sarah approached a near wall with stairs and looked up at it, chewing her lip nervously. She put a foot tentatively out on a stair and stepped, bringing her foot to swing to the wall. Miraculously, she swung sideways and with a laugh of incredulousness, she walked up the wall and did a spin and walked back down, coming to a stop on the original landing and standing straight up once again. She grinned at him. There were things here that she would always love. It would be incredibly hard to leave those things.

Jareth smirked back at her but then turned serious as he stepped forward and took her hands. She looked at him perplexed and waited for him to say something.

Looking at her hands, Jareth spoke softly. "Those years ago, I said, "love me, fear me, obey me, and I will be your slave"." Jareth looked up into her eyes, those suddenly sad eyes at his words. "I uttered those words without truly explaining my meaning. I was losing time. I was losing the game. I was losing you." Sarah gulped and he took a breath, barreling forward with purpose. "I meant to say, "Obey me, and I will obey you. Fear… nay, _respect_ me, and I will respect you. Love me… and I will love you." But perhaps you still won't take my offer or your dreams."

Sarah, eyes watery, opened her mouth to respond, but Jareth held a gloved hand to her lips to silence her. "So… I present one last bout of words to you. You can choose Alex, and you will marry him, have children, and spend a long, happy life with your family and friends. Or you can choose me. I offer no pretty words to sway you; you have known what I can offer. But perhaps I, alone, am enough."

She could not help it. She openly gaped at the man, the fae, the king before her and tears ran down her face as he continued to grasp her hands. He lifted them both to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her fingers and then lowered her hands and let her arms drop back to her sides. He gave her one last long look and then strode out of her sight. She looked around wildly, knowing he must be somewhere here still, but could not locate him.

"How you've turned my world, you precious thing…" echoed lightly at her and she gasped and backed to the wall, needing support. It was all too much all at once.

But she would have to sort through it quickly, as steps pounded outside the room and she knew Alex was about to step through the door. In panic, she stepped on the wall and ran up to the ceiling, needing to be far from the two men in her life. Needing time to think.

The pounding stopped and Sarah craned her head up, past her flowing locks to look upside-down at the runner that had just entered the chamber directly below her.

**AN: I figured the Escher Room scene deserved to be in two pieces to break up the action a little. So you will get one final chapter after this and an epilogue, assuming that I don't somehow change my mind on the chapter structure AGAIN. Hope you are all enjoying this and are ready for the exciting finale! Thanks for reading and reviewing and favoriting!**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: And now, for the final chapter and the conclusion of this story….**

**Chapter 20**

_Snap!_

Sarah whipped her head towards the noise, only to find that Jareth had snapped his fingers from across the room. He stood in full Goblin King regalia for this crucial standoff, cape billowing slightly from no breeze at all. As the snap echoed in the chamber, Sarah looked back down to see Alex's reaction. He also had looked toward the sound and found the Goblin King, but he suddenly looked down at his hands and the chains he still bore around his wrists slowly dissipated in a wisp of smoke until they no longer were there. Alex lowered his hands back down and squared his shoulders to challenge the fae before him.

"Give me back, Sarah," he called in a demanding, unwavering tone.

Jareth tsked at the runner. "That is not how it is done, Alexander."

Alex ground his teeth together, looking livid. "I am tired of these games! Now where is she?"

Jareth smirked at this question and held out a hand. A crystal appeared and he tossed it to the ceiling. Alex followed the progression of the wayward crystal as it bounced on upside-down stairs and finally rolled across the ceiling to directly above him. Directly where Sarah now stood. She reached down toward the ceiling and picked up the crystal. Once she straightened, she looked past her hair once more to Alex below.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed. He gaped at where she stood, but quickly closed his mouth. He wasn't about to begin asking more questions about the weirdness of this place. Sarah smiled sweetly at him but did not respond. Her thoughts and emotions were just as upside-down as she currently was.

Alex looked back to where Jareth had previously stood, but he was once again nowhere in sight. He looked back up. "I came for you, Sarah! I'm so sorry I wished you away!" He began to climb the stairs, trying to find a way to meet her. He felt that maybe if he physically reached her, then maybe they could go home.

"I know, that was very brave of you, Alex," she said, walking slowly across the ceiling to a set of stairs. She continued to walk upside-down, making her way to a slightly lower ceiling.

Alex laughed once in relief. "You won't believe some of the things I have done!"

The crystal in Sarah's hand caught her eye as color swirled in it, indistinguishable images slowly being created. She saw the wall swallowing Alex and him in the oubliette before she looked to him once more. "You had help though, right?" she prodded, wanting to hear more of his journey.

"Well, yeah, some from those things that claim they're your friends," Alex said carelessly, still looking for a route up.

Sarah stilled. "Those 'things' _are _my friends. I hope you were nice to them," she watched him warily.

"Yeah, of course. I mean, it took some convincing for me to get them to help you. That Hoggle guy argued with me most of the time," Alex explained.

Sarah looked back at the crystal, watching more scenes unfolding. She saw the naiad and Hoggle arguing with Alex and finally Hoggle handing over his jewels to the naiad grudgingly. "Hoggle gave up his jewels?" she asked sadly.

"Had to convince him to do it to save you," Alex answered.

Sarah shook her head. "There are other ways."

Alex didn't respond as he found himself on a lower level than before. Perplexed, he tried another route to get to Sarah. "Then we met a knight-"

"Sir Didymus," Sarah supplied.

"Yeah, him, and he was a bit nuts but more willing to come get you. Though he took convincing again later to help get us into the city."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "What kind of help?"

"I had shackles on my hands, so I pretended to be his prisoner and they let us in," he smiled, thinking his plan was quite brilliant.

"So you had him lie."

Alex shrugged. "We did it to save you." Finally, he noticed her tone and manner. "Why are you mad? I did everything I could to get to you!"

"But… but you went about it the wrong way! You cheated."

Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Sarah, I fought my way by any means possible to get here and now you're questioning my methods? This isn't some fairy tale where I'm the knight in shining armor and die with honor rather than achieving my goal."

"That's just it, this is a fairy tale!" Sarah laughed a little hysterically, gesturing to her upside-down state. "There are rules to this place."

Alex shook his head. "This place stole you away. I just did what I had to." He finally reached a higher platform so he could see her much better.

"It didn't steal me away, it took me when you wished me here," Sarah countered, realizing that Alex was placing all the blame on everyone but himself. He truly thought he had been doing the right thing all along.

"On accident! I didn't know this was real!" Alex exclaimed in a pleading tone, pleading for her understanding.

She understood him just perfectly. Only she was starting to understand that they were truly opposites. She had grown from her time here. He had gained nothing from his experience here. He was a decent person, but they clashed in ways that she hadn't the heart to actually think about until they were shoved at her so continuously that she had to see just what they were.

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, he had fought his way to the castle, beyond the goblin city, to take back the girl the king had stolen….

Sarah had approached the far wall and she slowly turned and walked down it, coming to a stop when she was once again right side up on the upper level. Alex ran up the last few steps and hugged her immediately, so happy to have her back, to not lose her forever.

Jareth, who had been watching the proceedings, stood once again out in the open, on a ledge much lower than the one they stood on. At first, he had assumed she would hate his methods and realize that he did not deserve her. But a stab of pain ran through him as he watched them embrace from below.

…Only no one realized that the king had also stolen her heart.

Sarah cried as she realized she was about to shatter Alex's happiness. She stepped out of his embrace and looked down over her shoulder, right where she knew Jareth would be. Somehow, she knew. She turned and looked at Alex once more.

"I love you," he smiled at her, thinking her tears were from this awful ordeal.

"I love you too," Sarah said sincerely. She dropped the crystal and it rolled to Alex's feet.

And then she jumped.

Unlike her last experience, she did not float toward the ground of a breaking chamber. This time she plummeted off the ledge toward the floor far below. She gasped as time slowed, her heart pounding, her mind working as fast as it could, hoping, praying she would survive this choice.

She missed the ledge Jareth stood on by just inches. She watched his horrified look as she fell past him, seemingly slow. Somewhere above her, Alex screamed in horror.

And then time lurched forward at its normal pace as her arm was yanked out of the air, her body jarring to a stop as she dangled above her death further down. She looked up to find Jareth grasping her arm, holding her from falling any further. He pulled her up, looking at her in complete disbelief. She staggered forward when her feet reached the landing and buried her head against his chest for a moment. Not letting go of the hug she had around his waist, she craned her head behind her and up to see a heart-broken Alex.

"We just aren't meant for each other," she said sadly. As her words ended, Alex slowly started to fade until he seemed to not exist at all anymore.

Sarah gasped in pain, tears searing her eyes again. She loved him, but she knew she would never be truly happy with Alex. She looked up at Jareth and asked shakily, "What happened to him?"

Jareth looked down at the girl that had defied everything and shocked even he as she had leapt to him. She had chosen _him_. He still was in shock from it all, not sure if he was dreaming. He answered her softly after a pause. "He has returned to his home. He will remember none of his time here, and you will be nothing but a feeling of love that he has lost but must move on from, which he will be able to do."

Sarah pressed her face to his chest again, relieved by this outcome. It was truly the most generous fate he could have given Alex. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Of course," he murmured back into her hair as he bent to embrace her. The girl he had loved for so long was now before him, finally accepting his love in return. He finally pulled back a little and lifted her chin to look into her face. His thumbs wiped the tears from her cheeks and she looked at him now, dry-eyed and waiting. He smiled, a true smile, one reserved for her and her only. She smiled back and with a look of Christmas come early and his every dream come true (which they had), he leaned forward and captured her lips with his.

She pulled away finally, much to his annoyance. He was not quite done with her yet. No, he never would be quite done.

"I think my friends are hanging around your hall, waiting to find out what happened in here."

Jareth rolled his eyes at her sudden shift in priorities. "I suppose so. Shall we go tell them that they are loitering in our castle and they should return another time?"

Sarah giggled, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle them. This would take some getting used to.

"Then perhaps we can get you out of these dreadful Aboveground clothes you're attired in?"

Sarah nodded, walking with him for a moment before stopping dead in her tracks. "Wait a minute, what's this _we _business?"

Jareth flashed a toothy grin at her and she swatted his arm as he took hers and led her out of the room that marked endings towards a place of new beginnings.

**The End**

**AN: The Epilogue is also up for your enjoyment and to conclude this work. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you have loved this story as much as I have.**


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_One year later…._

A house in a small neighborhood glowed on the darkened street, lights pouring from the main rooms across the yard, illuminating the several cars parked out front. The guests had arrived long ago for the party at this address, the light in the main hall turned off for some time now and the coats still hanging on the rack, long forgotten and not being donned anytime soon.

Laughter and sounds of happy talk floated from the dining room to the main hall and through most of the house. Light spilled across the floor until the shadows swallowed it up. A table could be seen partially from the main hall, where many guests crowded around, sitting and standing in no semblance of an order to congratulate the happy, newly engaged couple.

Next to the coats in the hall, hung a large mirror. And in the reflection was one uninvited guest. But this guest was not present in the house. No, she was solely reflected from the mirror.

She glanced from side to side, finding light and hearing sound from her right, turning to look as much as the mirror would allow her to. She finally found what she was obviously looking for as she smiled briefly at the happy couple as well.

And while no one knew of her existence, she remembered. It was hard to think that no one Aboveground would ever know her of care. She was happy that those she loved were happy, and she had traded this place for the love of the Underground. It was a fair trade. She smiled again. She no longer needed to worry; she was free to forget, just as he had done a year ago.

Another uninvited guest appeared next to her, and she silently looked up over her shoulder and smiled at this new addition to the mirror. The man with the matching necklace that she wore smiled back and placed his arms around her loosely. Then as quietly as they had come, they both disappeared, leaving the mirror to reflect the contents of the house once more, the guests none-the-wiser to the magic that had just occurred. They were focused on a different kind of magic: love. The same magic that had finally found the two that had watched silently from the mirror.

**-Fín-**

**AN: Once again, thank you all for reading! I am contemplating a short, unrelated Labyrinth fic and possibly a full-length sequel to this. No promises, but keep an eye out for any of my new Labyrinth stories. Thank you for all the kind reviews and favorites!**


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